Class 

Book 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



Joy and Strength 

for 

The Pilgrim's Day 



Joy and Strength 

for 

The Pilgrim's Day 

Selected by the Editor of 

" Daily Strength for Daily Needs " 
" Quiet Hours/' etc. 

"% f ^ ~Sr \ 5 1 — 

" The joy of the Lord is your strength" 




Little, 



Boston 
Brown, and 
1901 



Company 



THE LIBRARY OF 

CONGRESS, 
Two Cuftts Received 

OCT. 5 1901 

COPVRIOHT ENTRY 

CLASS ^XXc No. 
COP> 3. 



Copyright, ipoi, 
By Mary Wilder Tileston. 



-^?// rights reserved 



October, 1901 



UNIVERSITY PRESS • JOHN WILSON 
AND SON • CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A. 



PREFACE 

^: 
if 

/ I V HIS little book, like its predecessor, "Daily 
Strength for Daily Needs ' ? is a selection,- 
> from writers of many countries and centuries, 
of thoughts of courage, faith, hope, and love, to 
cheer and inspirit the pilgrim in his daily jour- 
ney, whether it be in clouds or sunshine; and 
to remind him of what he can do to help his 
fellow-travellers. And mav his evening and 
morning be serene as in the old story — "The 
Pilgrim they laid in a large upper chamber, 
whose window opened towards the sun-rising: 
the name of the chamber was Peace ; where 
he slept till break of day, and then he awoke 
and sang." 

MARY WILDER TILESTON, 



Boston, October, 1901. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



THE Editor presents her most grateful ac- 
knowledgments to the publishers in the 
United States and in England, who have kindly 
given her permission to use passages from their - 
publications, and to the authors who have 
allowed her to make selections from their 
writings. 

To Messrs. D. Appleton & Co., for an ex- 
tract from " Old Faiths and New Facts," by 
W. W. Kinsley; to Air. Thomas Y. Crowell 
<5c Co., for a passage from Airs. A. B. R. Lind- 
sav, and several from Rev. J. R. Miller, D.D.; 
to Messrs. Dodd, Mead & Co., for two stanzas 
from " The Invisible Plavmate, etc.; 5 ' to 
Messrs. E. P. Dutton, for passages from Rev. 
W. R. Huntington, D.D., and two stanzas by 
W. ML L. Jav ; to Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin 
Sz Co., for selections from Rev. J. F. Clarke, 
D.D., C. P. Cranch, R. W. Emerson, Miss 
Kimball, Miss Larcom, Rt. Rev. William Law- 



viii ^ftntftoUtrgmetTto 



rence, Rev. E. Mulford, Rev. A. McKenzie, 
D.D., Rev. G. S. Merriam, Mrs. Stowe, and 
J. G. Whittier; to Messrs. Little, Brown, & 
Co., for a verse by Miss Alexander, several 
bv Susan Coolidge, and extracts from T. Par- 
sons; to Mr. A. D. F. Randolph, for passages 
from the "Life of Mrs. Prentiss," and " Urbane 
and his Friends;" to Messrs. Fleming H. 
Revell Co., from F. B. Meyer, Mrs. H. W. 
Smith, and " Life of Catherine Booth;" to 
Messrs. G. P. Putnam's Sons, for a verse from 
Miss Larned's " In Woods and Fields; " to Mr. 
Thomas Whittaker, for passages from the ser- 
mon of Rev. G. Hodges, D.D. 

And, in England, to Messrs. George Bell's 
Sons, for selections from Mrs. Ewing's works; 
to Messrs. Blackwood's Sons, from " Scientific 
Religion," bv Laurence Oliphant ; to Messrs. 
Burns <Sc Oates, from u Life of Another Henrietta 
Kerr," and life and writings of Archbishop 
Ullathorne ; to Messrs. William Caswell & Co., 
from " My Life in Christ," by Father John ; to 
Messrs. Chatto & Windus, for verses by George 
Macdonald ; to Mr, David Douglas, from J. C. 
Shairp's " Culture and Religion," and "Letters 



IX 



of T. Erskine;" to Messrs. Gibbings & Co., 
from Dora Greenwell's works; to Messrs. 
Hodder & Stoughton, from Drummond's " Ideal 
Life," Rev. H. Black, on " Friendship," T. H. 
Gill's "Golden Chain of Praise," and "Life of 
J. K. McKenzie;" to Messrs. Hurst & Blackett, 
from novels of G. Macdonald ; to Messrs. Isbis- 
ter & Co., for two stanzas from the " Invisible 
Playmate, etc.," and from Bishop Thorold's 
works ; to Messrs. Longmans, Green & Co., for 
passages from the writings of Canons Body, 
Carter, Liddon, Holland, Deans Goulburn and 
Paget, Bishop Hall, Rev. Mr. Brent, " Life of 
Mother Francis Raphael," Jean Ingelow, and 
Mrs. H. L. Sidney Lear (from her " Light of 
the Conscience," "Weariness," "Joy," and her 
translations of Fenelon, De Sales, etc.;) to 
Messrs. Macmillan & Co., from Revs. J. M. 
Campbell, J. Ellerton, C. Kingsley, E. Thring, 
Messrs. R. H. Hutton, F. W. H. Myers, and J. 
Smetham, Archbishop Temple, Miss E. Watson, 
and Bishop Westcott; to Mr. Elkin Matthews, 
for a verse from Mrs. Hinkson's "Cuckoo 
Songs;" to Mr. John Murray, for passages from 
Mrs. Charles' "Seven Homes," Canon Gore's 



expositions of " Ephesians," "Romans," and the 
"Sermon on the Mount," and Dean Stanley's 
sermons ; to Messrs. James Nisbet & Co., from 
Miss Havergal, and Rev. A. Murray ; to Messrs. 
Kegan Paul, Trench, Triibner & Co., for verses 
by Mrs. Hinkson, and an extract from " Life 
of J. Hinton ; " to Messrs. Seeley & Co., from 
Rev. H. C. G. Moule's " Tho ughts on the 
Spiritual Life," and on " Christian Sanctity ; " 
to Mr. John F. Shaw, from Canon Aitken's 
" Easter-tide," and "Highway of Holiness;" 
to Mr. T. Fisher Unwin, from " Life of C. 
L. Dodgson;" to Messrs. Wells, Gardner, 
Darton & Co., from Canon Bright's " Law of 
Faith," and writings of Bishops Ingram and 
Wilkinson; to Mrs. Eden, for passages from 
her "Life of Mrs. Ewing," and from Mrs. 
Ewing's "Jackanapes;" and to Mrs. Fox, for 
a selection from « The Spiritual Grasp of the 
Epistles," by Rev. C. A. Fox. 



Joy and Strength 

for 

. The Pilgrim's Day 



Santtarfi i 



i 



Be strong and of good courage . . . fear not, 
nor be dismayed ; for the Lord God, even my God, 
will be with thee ; He will not fail thee, nor for- 
sake thee. — I Chron. xxviii. 20. 

That we should serve in newness of spirit. — 
Rom. vii. 6. 

Help us, O Lord ! behold we enter 

Upon another year to-day \ 
In Thee our hopes and thoughts now centre, 

Renew our courage for the way ; 
New life, new strength, new happiness, 

We ask of Thee ; oh, hear, and bless ! 

JOHANN RlST. 

THE year begins ; and all its pages are as 
blank as the silent years of the life of 
Jesus Christ. Let us begin it with high 
resolution \ then let us take all its limitations, all 
its hindrances, its disappointments, its narrow 
and common-place conditions, and meet them as 
the Master did in Nazareth, with patience, with 
obedience, putting ourselves in cheerful subjec- 
tion, serving our apprenticeship. Who knows 
what opportunity may come to us this year ? 
Let us live in a great spirit, then w 7 e shall be 
ready for a great occasion. George Hodges. 

Walk cheerfully and freely in God's service. 

St. Teresa. 



2 



As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so 
the Lord is round about His people from henceforth 
even forever. — Ps. cxxv. 2. 

I HOPE it may be the happiest year of your 
life, as I think each succeeding year of every- 
body's life should be, if only everybody were 
wise enough to see things as they are; for it is 
certain that there really exists, laid up and ready 
to hand, for those who will just lay hands upon 
it, enough for every one and enough forever. I 
am quite sure that the central mistake of all lives 
that are mistaken is the not taking this simple 
unchangeable fact for granted, not seeing that 
it is so, and cannot but be so, and will remain 
so " though we believe not." I think I can 
trace every scrap of sorrow in my own life 
to this simple unbelief. How could I be any- 
thing but quite happy if I believed always that all 
the past is forgiven, and all the present furnished 
with power, and all the future bright with hope, 
because of the same abiding facts, which don't 
change with my mood, do not crumble, because I 
totter and stagger at the promise through unbe- 
lief, but stand firm and clear with their peaks of 
pearl cleaving the air of Eternity, and the bases 
of their hills rooted unfathomably in the Rock of 
• James Smetham. 



3tomtavt? 3 



3 



Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad 
in Thee ; let such as love Thy salvation say contin- 
ually, The Lord be magnified, — Ps. xl. 16. 

Then will I go unto the altar of God ; unto God, 
my exceeding joy, — Ps. xliii. 4. 

We doubt the word that tells us : Ask, 
And ye shall have your prayer 5 

We turn our thoughts as to a task, 
With will constrained and rare. 

And yet we have 5 these scanty prayers 

Yield gold without alloy ; 
O God, but he who trusts and dares 

Must have a boundless joy ! 

George Macdonald. 

TELL them that, until religion cease to be 
a burden, it is nothing, — until prayer 
cease to be a weariness, it is nothing. 
However difficult and however imperfect, the 
spirit must still rejoice in it. 

Edward Irving. 

From a weary laborer, worn with slavish and 
ineffectual toil, I had become as a little child re- 
ceiving from God the free gift of eternal life and 
of daily sustenance ; and prayer, from a weary 
spiritual exercise, had become the simple asking 
from the Heavenly Father of daily bread, and 
thanking Him. 

Elizabeth Rundle Charles. 



4 aanttarg 4 



He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice 
of thy cry ; when He shall hear it, He shall an- 
swer thee. — Isa. xxx. 19. 

That was the Shepherd of the flock $ He knew 
The distant voice of one poor sheep astray ,• 

It had forsaken Him, but He was true, 

And listened for its bleating night and day. 

And thou, fallen soul, afraid to live or die 
In the deep pit that will not set thee free, 

Lift up to Him the helpless homeward cry, 
For all that tender love is seeking thee. 

Anna L. Waring. 

OUR Divine Shepherd followed after His 
lost sheep for three and thirty years, in a 
way so painful and so thorny that He 
spilt His heart's blood and left His life there. 
The poor sheep now follows Him through obe- 
dience to His commands, or through a desire 
(though at times but faint) to obey Him, calling 
upon Him and beseeching Him earnestly for 
help ; is it possible that He should now refuse 
to turn upon it His life-giving look ? Will He 
not give ear to it, and lav it upon His divine 
shoulders, rejoicing over it with all His friends 
and with the angels of Heaven ? For if our 
Lord ceased not to search most diligently and 
lovingly for the blind and deaf sinner, the lost 
drachma of the Gospel, till He found it, how is 
it possible that He should abandon him who, as a 
lost sheep, cries and calls* upon his Shepherd ? 

Lorenzo Scupoli. 



Samtarg 5 5 



Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children ; 
and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and 
hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacri- 
fice to God. — Eph. v. I, 2. 

O joy supreme ! I know the Voice, 
Like none beside on earth or sea ; 

Yea, more, O soul of mine, rejoice, 
By all that He requires of me, 
I know what God Himself must be. 

John G. Whittier. 

EITHER there is a God supremely good, 
One whom His children may love and 
trust to the very uttermost point without 
the slightest fear of the reality falling short of 
the heart's desire, or else there is no God, no 
love, no forgiveness, no redress. God is wholly 
good, if good at all, and those who hope in Him 
will be wiser if they hope with all their hearts 
than if they hope with only half their hearts. 

William R. Huntington. 

As mighty and as wise as God is to save man, 
as willing He is. For Christ Himself is the 
ground of all the laws of Christian men ; and He 
taught us to do good against evil. Here we may 
see that He is Himself this charity, and doth to us 
as He teacheth us to do : for He willeth that we 
be like Him in fulness of endless love. 

Mother Juliana. 

We know what God is like because we know 
the character of Jesus Christ. George Hodges. 



6 



3>amtari> 6 



And when they had opened their treasures, they 
presented unto Him gifts ; gold, and frankincense, 
and myrrh. — Matt. ii. II. 

IVE yourselves anew to God and to God's 
"T service, and He will give vou the desire 
and the power to open vour treasures; 
to give to Him, it mav be wealth, it may be 
time, it mav be personal service, it may be 
lire itself. In His store there is a place for 
all, for the tears of the penitent, the barley 
loaves of the child, the two mites of the widow, 
the savings of the Philippians 3 " deep poverty,' 3 
as well as for Mary's ointment, for the land of 
Barnabas, for the gold and incense and myrrh 
of these Eastern sages. And if the vision of 
Christ be before his eves, and the love of Christ 
be in his heart, the man of wealth will give his 
lar^e offering;, the man of learning his dear-bought 
knowledge, the man of business his hard-earned 
leisure, for the glory of God, for the benefit of 
his fellow-men, for the Church or for the poor; 
to feed the hungry, or to teach the ignorant, to 
help the struggling, or to guide the erring ; and 
each gift will be welcomed by Him who gave 
Himself for us all, and who asks in return for 
ourselves as a living sacririce to Him. 

John Ellertox. 



Sauttart) 7 



7 



Let every one of us please his neighbor fir his 
pood, — Rom. xv. 2. 

Let us consider one another, — Heb. x. 24. 

LOOK around vou, first in vour own family, 
then among vour friends and neighbors, 
and see whether there be not some one 
whose little burden vou can lighten, whose 
little cares vou may lessen, whose little pleas- 
ures vou can promote, whose little wants and 
wishes vou can gratify. Giving up cheerfully 
our own occupations to attend to others, is one 
of the little kindnesses and self-denials. Doing 
little things that nobody likes to do, but which 
must be "done by some one, is another. It 
may seem to many, that if they avoid little un- 
kindnesses, they must necessarily be doing all 
that is right to their family and tnends ; but it 
is not enough to abstain from sharp words, 
sneering tone's, pettv contradiction, or daily little 
selfish cares; we must be active and earnest in 
kindness, not merelv passive and inoffensive. 

Little Things, 1852. 

The labor of the baking was the hardest part 
of the sacrifice of her hospitality. To many it 
is easy to give what they have, but the ottering 
of weariness and pain is never easy. They are 
indeed a true salt to salt sacrifices withal. 

George Macdoxald. 



8 Stettttarg 8 



He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves 
thereof are still. Then are they glad because they 
be quiet ; so He bringeth them unto their desired 
haven. — Ps. cvii. 29, 30. 

AS thou learnest this lesson, to carry all thy 
sorrows to God, and lie at thy Saviour's 
feet, and spread thy grief before Him, 
thou wilt find a calm come over thee, thou 
knowest not whence; thou wilt see through the 
clouds a bright opening, small perhaps and quickly 
closed, but telling of eternal rest, and everlast- 
ing day, and of the depth of the Love of God. 
Thy heart will still rise and sink, but it will 
rise and sink, not restlessly, nor waywardly, 
not in violent gusts of passion ; but resting in 
stillness on the bosom of the ocean of the Love 
of God. Then shalt thou learn, not to endure 
only patiently, but, in everything against thy 
will, humbly and quickly to see and to love the 
loving Will of God. Thy faith and thy love 
and thy hope will grow, the more thou seest the 
work of God with thee ; thou wilt joy in thy 
sorrow, and thy sorrow will be turned into joy. 

Edward B. Pusey, 



Stemtarg 9 9 



In nothing be anxious; but in everything by 
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your 
requests be made known to God. And the peace of 
God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard 
your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. — 
Phil. iv. 6, 7 (R. V.). 

JUST think of having His wonderful peace 
guarding one's heart and one's thoughts all 
day long. But it is only on condition that 
we fulfil the sixth verse, " In nothing be anx- 
ious," — this is a distinct command, and, if we 
fail to fulfil it, we shall not get the blessing. 
Sorrow even is anxiety, and should be laid upon 
our blessed Lord. Then in prayer and suppli- 
cation we must not forget that thanksgiving is 
also distinctly commanded ; we must praise 
God for His dealings with us, even though we 
cannot make them out at times. Pray God 
to make you cease from anxiety about yourself 
and your plans ; just be willing to do the work 
our dear Father gives you at the time. 

John Kenneth Mackenzie. 

Oh, how great peace and quietness would he 
possess who should cut off all vain anxiety and 
place all his confidence in God. 

Thomas a Kempis. 



io Stemtarg 10 



I girded thee, though thou hast not known me. — 
Isa. xlv. 5. 

For I know the thoughts that I think towards 
you, saith the Lord ; thoughts of peace and not of 
evil, to give you an expected end. — Jer. xxix. 1 1. 

Thou knowest, — oh, the precious truth 

That bids my soul be strong ! 
The care, the never-weary care 
That cannot lead me wrong ! 
There is a blessed end for me, 
Whereon thine eves are set ,• 
Thou hast a comfort in Thy love, 
Too great to show me yet. 

Anna L. Waring. 

O room for a discouraged or depressed 
feeling is left vou. If vour sphere is 
outwardly humble, if it even appears to 
be quite insignificant, God understands it better 
than you do, and it is a part of His wisdom to 
bring out great sentiments in humble conditions, 
great principles in works that are outwardly trivial, 
great characters under great adversities and heavy 
loads of encumbrance. Let it fill vou with cheer- 
fulness and exalted feeling, however deep in ob- 
scurity vour lot may be, that God is leading vou 
on, girding you for a work, preparing you for a 
good that is worthy of His divine magnificence. 
If God is really preparing us all to become that 
which is the very highest and best thing possible, 
there ought never to be a discouraged or uncheer- 
ful being in the world. Horace Bushnell. 



ii 



The secret of the Lord is with them that fear 
Him; and He will show them His covenant.— 
Ps. xxv. 14. 

Then shall my days be Thine, 

And all my heart be love ; 
And joy and peace be mine, 

Such as are known above. 
Come, Holy Spirit, quickly come, 
And make my heart Thy lasting home. 

Andrew Reed. 



IT is a sign that the soul is living in God, if 
it maintain calmness within through the con- 
sciousness of His Presence, while working 
for Him in active ministrations. Such rest ful- 
ness will show itself in the commonest ways, in 
doing common duties at the right time, in pre- 
serving a sweetness and evenness of temper in 
the mtdst of ordinary interruptions and disturb- 
ances, in walking to and fro quietly on the day's 
varied errands, in speaking gentle words, in 
sweetly meeting unexpected calls. A calm, rest- 
ful temper grows as self is learning to lose itself 
in God. Such grace tells gradually on the daily 
life; even the minutest detail may be brought 
under the power of God, and carried out in 
union with Him. 

T. T. Carter. 



12 



See that ye hasten the matter. — 2 Chron. 
xxiv. 5. 

And grant me, Lord, to do, 

With ready heart and willing, 
Whatever Thou shalt command, 

My calling here fulfilling 5 
And do it when I ought, 
With all my strength, and bless 
The work I thus have wrought, 
For Thou must give success. 

JOHAXN HEERMANK. 

NO unwelcome tasks become any the less 
unwelcome by putting them off till 
to-morrow. It is only when they are 
behind us and done, that we begin to find that 
there is a sweetness to be tasted afterwards, 
and that the remembrance of unwelcome duties 
unhesitatingly done is welcome and pleasant. 
Accomplished, they are full of blessing, and there 
is a smile on their faces as they leave us. Un- 
done, they stand threatening and disturbing our 
tranquillity, and hindering our communion" with 
God. If there be lying before you any bit of 
work from which you shrink, go straight up to it, 
and do it at once. The only way to get rid of 
it is to do it. Alexander MacLarex. 

She constantly yielded to that kind of selfish- 
ness which makes the writing, or not writing, 
a letter depend upon the inclination of the 
moment. Sarah W. Stephex. 



Samtart? 13 



Let us not therefore judge 07ie another any more. 
— Rom. xiv. 13. 

(( Tell not abroad another's faults 

Till thou hast cured thine own 5 
Nor whisper of thy neighbor's sin 

Till thou art perfect grown : 
Then, when thy soul is pure enough 

To bear My searching eye 
Unshrinking, then may come the time 

Thy brother to decry. 1 ' 

" Jesu, Saviour, pitying be $ 
Parce mihi, Domine ! " 

Lyra Mystic a. 

THE habit of judging is so nearly incurable, 
and its cure is such an almost intermi- 
nable process, that we must concentrate 
ourselves for a long while on keeping it in check, 
and this check is to be found in kind interpreta- 
tions. We must come to esteem very lightly our 
sharp eve for evil, on which perhaps we once 
prided ourselves as cleverness. We must look 
at our talent for analysis of character as a dread- 
ful possibility of huge unchantableness. We are 
sure to continue to say clever things, so long as 
we continue to indulge in this analysis ; and clever 
things are equally sure to be sharp and acid. We 
must grow to something higher, and something 
truer, than a quickness in detecting evil. 

Frederick Wm. Faber. 



Statntarg 14 



/•it'/// what God the Lord will speak ; for He 
will speak peace unto His people. — Ps. lxxxv. 8. 

Now, O my God, 

My comfort, portion, rest ! 

Thou, none but Thou, shalt reign within my breast. 
Call me to Thee ! call me Thyself — oh, speak, 
And bind my heart to Thee, whom most I seek ! 

Gerhard Tersteegen. 

JUST as in prayer it is not we who momen- 
tarily catch His attention, but He ours, so 
when we fail to hear His voice, it is not 
because He is not speaking so much as that we 
are not listening. We must recognize that all 
things are in God and that God is in all things, 
and we must learn to be very attentive, in order 
to hear God speaking in His ordinary tone 
without any special accent. A man must not 
stop listening any more than praying when he 
rises from his knees. No one questions the 
need of times of formal address to God, but few 
admit in any practical way the need of quiet 
waiting upon God, gazing into His face, feeling 
for His hand, listening for His voice. " I will 
hearken what the Lord God will say concerning 
me." God has special confidences for each soul. 
Indeed, it would seem as though the deepest truths 
came only in moments of profound devotional 
silence and contemplation. 

Charles H. Brent. 



Stommrt) 15 



Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and 
He shall strengthen thine heart', wait, I say, on 
the Lord. — Ps. xxvii. 14. 

With smile of trust and folded hands, 
The passive soul in waiting stands 
To feel, as flowers the sun and dew, 
The One true Life its own renew. 

John G. Whittier. 

THE whole duty and blessedness of waiting 
on God has its root in this, that He is 
such a blessed Being, full, to overflowing, 
of goodness and power and life and joy, that we, 
however wretched, cannot for any time come into 
contact with Him, without that life and power 
secretly, silently, beginning to enter into us and 
blessing us. God is Love ! God's love is just 
His delight to impart Himself and His blessedness 
to His children. Come, and however feeble 
you feel, just wait in His presence. As a 
feeble invalid is brought out into the sunshine 
to let its warmth go through him, come with all 
that is dark and cold in you into the sunshine of 
God's holy, omnipotent love, and sit and^ wait 
there, with the one thought : Here I am, in the 
sunshine of His love. As the sun does its work 
in the weak one who seeks its rays, God will do 
His work in you. 

Andrew Murray. 



i6 



The very hairs of your head are all numbered. — 
Matt. x. 30. 

/ will go in the strength of the Lord God. 

Ps. lxxi. 16. 

NO trouble is too small wherein to see the 
will of God for thee. Great troubles 
come but seldom. Daily fretting trials, 
that is, what of thyself would 'fret thee, may 
often, m God's hands, conform thee more to 
His gracious will. They are the dailv touches, 
whereby He traces on thee the likeness of His 
divine will. There is nothing too slight 
wherein to practise oneness with the will of 
God. By daily practice in slight crosses of 
our own will, do we learn the lesson our Lord 
taught, « Xot as I will, but as Thou." All the 
things whereof men dailv complain may perfect 
thee m the will of God'. The changes of the 
seasons, bodily discomforts or ailments, rude 
words, petty slights, little jealousies, unevenness 
of temper in those with whom thou livest, mis- 
understandings, censures of thy faith or practice, 
severe judgments, thanklessness of those thou 
wouldest benefit, interruptions in what thou 
wouldest do, oppressiveness or distraction of 
thy labors, —whatever thou canst think of, 
wherein others fret themselves, and, still more, 
thyself; therein thou seest how to be of one 
will with God. Edward B. Pusey. 



Smmtavt) 17 



17 



Ye shall know that I have not done without cause 
all that I have done, saith the Lord God. — Ezek. 
xiv. 23. 

Joy is the lesson set for some, 

For others pain best teacher is ; 
We know not which for us shall come, 

But both are Heaven's high ministries. 

Susan Coolidge. 

THE outward features of our life may not 
be all that we should choose them to be \ 
there may be things we wish for that 
never come to us ; there may be much we wish 
awav that we cannot part from. The persons 
with whom we live, the circumstances by which 
we are surrounded, the duties we have to per- 
form, the burdens we have to bear, mav not 
only be other than what we should have selected 
for ourselves, but mav even seem inconsistent 
with that formation and discipline of character 
which we honestly wish to promote. Know- 
ing; us better than we know ourselves, fully 
understanding how greatly we are affected by 
the outward events and conditions of life, He 
has ordered them with a view to our entire and 
final, not onlv our immediate, happiness ; and 
whenever we can be safelv trusted with pastures 
that are green, and waters that are still, in 
the way of earthlv blessing, the Good Shepherd 
leads us there. Anthony W. Thorold. 



2 



1 8 Samtarg 18 



/ delight to do Thy will, O my God ; yea, Thy 
law is within my heart, — Ps. xl. 8. 

Crown us with love, and so with peace ; 

Transfigure duty to delight ; 
Our lips inspire, our faith increase, 

Brighten with hope our darkest night. 
Bring us from earthly bondage free 
To find our heaven in serving Thee. 

Henry Wilder Foote. 

WE often make our duties harder by 
thinking them hard. We dwell on the 
things we do not like till they grow 
before our eyes, and, at last, perhaps shut out 
heaven itself. But this is not following our 
Master, and He, we may be sure, will value 
little the obedience of a discontented heart. 
The moment we see that anything to be done 
is a plain duty, we must resolutely trample out 
every rising impulse of discontent. We must 
not merely prevent our discontent from inter- 
fering with the duty itself; we must not merely 
prevent it from breaking out into murmuring; 
we must get rid of the discontent itself. Cheer- 
fulness in the service of Christ is one of the first 
requisites to make that service Christian. 

Frederick Temple. 



StetTttatg 19 



l 9 



Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that 
men should do to you, do ye even so to them ; for 
this is the Law and the Prophets, — Matt. vii. 1 2. 

TAKE the trouble to spend only one single 
day according to God's commandments, 
and you will see yourself, you will feel 
by your own heart, how good it is to fulfil God's 
will (and God's will in relation to us is our life, 
our eternal blessedness). Love God with all 
your heart ; value with all your strength His 
love and His benefits to you, enumerate His 
mercies, which are endlessly great and manifold. 
Furthermore, love every man as yourself, — that 
is, do not wish him anything that you would 
not wish for yourself ; do not let your memory 
keep in it any evil caused to you by others, 
even as you would wish that the evil done by 
yourself should be forgotten by others ; do unto 
them as you would do unto yourself, or even 
do not do unto them as you would not do unto 
yourself ; and then you will see what you will 
obtain in your heart, — what peace, what blessed- 
ness ! You will be in paradise before reaching 
it, — that is, before the paradise in heaven, you 
will be in the paradise on earth. 

Father John. 



20 



Santtaro 20 



Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou 
wilt revive me ; Thou shalt stretch forth Thine 
hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and Thy 
right hand shall save me, — Ps. cxxxviii. 7. 

Holy Spirit, Joy divine, 
Cheer this saddened heart of mine ; 
Bid my troubled thoughts be still ; 
With Thy peace my spirit fill. 

Andrew Reed. 

rT^HEREFORE, in the evil hour, lie still, 
feel thy stay, till His light which " makes 
manifest " arise in thee, and clear up 
things to thee. And think not the time of dark- 
ness long; but watch, that thy heart be kept 
empty, and thy mind clear of thoughts and belief 
of things, till He bring in somewhat which thou 
mayest safely receive. Therefore, say to thy 
thoughts and to thy belief of things (according 
to the representation of the dark power, in the 
time of thy darkness), " Get thee hence ! " And 
if that will not do, look up to the Lord to speak 
to them ; and to keep them out if they be not 
already entered, or to thrust them out if they be 
already got in. And if He do not so presently, 
or for a long time, yet do not murmur or think 
much, but wait till He do. Yea, though they 
violently thrust themselves upon thee, and seem 
to have entered thy mind, yet let them be as 
strangers to thee ; receive them not, believe them 
not, know them not, own them not. 

Isaac Penington. 



21 



Be of good courage, and He shall strengtheyi your 
heart, all ye that hope in the Lord, — Ps. xxxi. 24. 

Lord, all my desire is before Thee. — Ps. 
xxxviii. 9. 

Think not again the wells of Life to fill:, 

By any conscious act of your own will ; 

Retire within the silence of your soul, 

And let God's Spirit enter, and control. 

The springs of feeling which you thought were stilled, 

Shall so be deepened, sweetened, and refilled. 

Anna J. Granniss. 

WHEN vou find that weariness depresses 
or amusement distracts you, you will 
calmly turn with an untroubled spirit to 
your Heavenly Father, who is always holding out 
His arms to you. You will look to Him for 
gladness and refreshment when depressed, for 
moderation and recollection when in good spirits, 
and you will find that He will never leave you 
to want. A trustful glance, a silent movement of 
the heart towards Him will renew your strength ; 
and though you may often feel as if your soul 
were downcast and numb, whatever God calls 
you to do, He will give you power and courage 
to perform. Our Heavenly Father, so far from 
ever overlooking us, is only waiting to find our 
hearts open, to pour into them the torrents of 
His grace. 

Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 



22 3tetmtitrg 22 



Then said 7, Lo, I come . . . to do Thy will, 
O God. — Heb. x. 7. 

Commit thy works unto the Lord. — Prov. xvi. 3. 

Oh, let Thy wisdom be my guide, 
Nor take Thy light from me away $ 
Thy grace be ever at my side, 
That from Thy path I may not stray ; 
But, feeling that Thy hand is o'er me, 
In steadfast faith my course fulfil, 
And keep Thy word, and do Thy will, 
Thy love within, Thy heaven before me ! 

Wolfgang C. Dessler. 

« T COME to do Thy will, O God." 

That is what we are here for, — to do 
God's will. That is the object of your life 
and mine, — to do God's will. Any of us can 
tell in a moment whether our lives are right or 
not. Are we doing God's will ? We do not 
mean, Are we doing God's work ? — preaching, 
or teaching, or collecting money, — but God's 
will. A man may think he is doing God's work 
when he is not even doing God's will. And a 
man may be doing God's work and God's will 
quite as much by hewing stones, or sweeping 
streets, as by preaching or praying. So the ques- 
tion means just this, Are we working out our 
common every-day life on the great lines of 
God's will? 

Henry Drummond. 



Sanrtmrt) 23 



23 



So shall we ever be with the Lord. — I Thess. 
iv. 17. 

They shall walk with me in white ; for they are 
worthy, — Rev. iii. 4. 

WE are taught to believe of the Blessed, 
that thev " serve Him day and night in 
His temple," that " His servants shall 
serve Him." And this must be with powers and 
endowments developed in harmony with higher 
worlds, so that all the tastes, the desires, the 
affections, the artistic powers, the intellectual 
gifts, which belong to each individual, each with 
his own special capacities, trained and developed 
and exercised in spiritual modes of life, will be 
suited to that higher world, where thev dwell in 
the presence of the Almighty God, and the " Lamb 
who is in the midst of them." The activities of 
a condition of life such as we cannot yet con- 
ceive, we shall enter upon, if fitted for it, trained 
for it, bv the exercise of our gifts during our life 
in this world ; we shall be like weapons in the 
Hand of God, ready for what service He may 
will. Thomas Thellusox Carter. 

For those who live, as she did, with their whole 
talents dedicated to God's service, death is only 
the gate of life, — the path from joyous work in 
this world to greater capacities and opportunities 
for it in the other. Horatia K. F. Eden. 



a 4 



The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in 
it ; and His servants shall serve Him ; and they 
shall see His face ; and His name shall be in their 
foreheads. — Rev. xxii. 3, 4. 

And doubtless unto thee is given 
A life that bears immortal fruit 
In such great offices as suit 

The full-grown energies of heaven. 

Alfred Tennyson. 

IF we are to be thus disciplined and trained, as 
workmen in various orders of work, instru- 
ments thus formed for God's service, what 
may we look to become hereafter ? May not 
instruments thus formed, when this passing scene 
is over, and we appear in God's presence, cleansed 
and disciplined, with the true workman's hand, 
may we not be set to work in higher spheres, in 
grander ministries, in a world of nobler service ? 
We speak of heaven as a sort of rest, of sweet 
consolation, of communion with God, such as we 
cannot know on earth ; but consistently with this 
perfect sweetness, heaven is full of activity, of 
ministrations infinite. For God is active, and out 
of His activity He formed all creatures. As in 
the deep seas in their endless movements there 
is calm beneath, so in God are depths of peace 
as infinite as the activity of His creation. So, 
too, His creatures partake of infinite peace and 
intensely active service. T. T. Carter. 



damtarg 25 25 



/ can do all things through Christ which 
strengthened me, — Phil. iv. 13. 

Let him take hold of my strength, — Isa. xxvii. 5. 

Thou canst o'ercome this heart of mine, 

Thou wilt victorious prove ; 
For everlasting strength is Thine, 

And everlasting love. 

Charles Wesley. 

WE are conscious of our own weakness and 
of the strength of evil ; but not of the third 
force, stronger than either ourselves or 
the power of evil, which is at our disposal if we 
will draw upon it. What is needed is a deliber- 
ate and whole-hearted realization that we are in 
Christ, and Christ is in us by His Spirit ; an un- 
conditional surrender of faith to Him ; a practice, 
which grow T s more natural by exercise, of remem- 
bering and deliberately drawing by faith upon His 
strength in the moments of temptation and not 
merely upon our own resources. u In the name 
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I will do thus and 
thus." So we too may form, like St. Paul, the 
habit of victory. 

Charles Gore. 



26 



3>anuart> 26 



That ye might be filled with the knowledge of 
His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 
that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all 
pleasing. — Col. i. 9, 10. 

Something for Thee ! Lord, let this be 

Thy choice for me from day to day 5 
The life I live it is not mine, 
Thy will, my will, have made it Thine ! 
Oh, let me do in Thine own way 
Something for Thee ! 

Elizabeth Prentiss. 

ACT faithfully according to thy degree of 
light, and what God giveth thee to see ; 
and thou shalt see more clearly. Hearken 
to the low whispers of His voice within thee, 
and thou shalt hear more distinctly. Above all, 
do not stifle any motions of conscience. Med- 
itate dailv on the things of Eternity ; and, by 
the grace of God, do something daily which 
thou wouldest wish to have done when that 
day cometh. Above all things, in all things, 
« look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of 
thy faith." If thou failest, look to Him to up- 
hold thee; if thou stumblest, hold swift His 
hand to help thee; if thou failest, lie not hope- 
lessly there, but look to Him to raise thee ; if, 
bv His grace, thou doest well, look to Him in 
thanksgiving, that He has helped thee, and pray 
that thou mayest do better. 

Edward B. Pusey. 



Santtart) 27 27 



As the hart panteth after the waterbrooks, so 
panteth my soul after Thee, God, — Ps. xlii. I. 

Singing and making melody in your heart to the 
Lord, — Eph. v. 19. 

Lord, make my heart a place where angels sing ! 

For surely thoughts low-breathed by Thee 
Are angels gliding near on noiseless wings ; 

And where a home they see 
Swept clean, and garnished with adoring joy, 

They enter in and dwell, 

And teach that heart to swell 
With heavenly melody, their own untired employ. 

John Keble. 

LET your heart and desires continually hold 
converse with God, in heartfelt simpli- 
city. Reflect on Him with feelings of 
love and reverence, and often offer up your 
heart, with all that you have and are, to Him, 
in spirit and in truth, as cordially and sincerely 
as possible. If through weakness or unfaith- 
fulness vou forsake this exercise, which is so 
incredibly helpful and beautiful, all you have to 
do is, meeklv and heartily to begin again ; and 
do not be weary of it, although in the beginning 
vou may not find any great advantage from it, 
or make any rapid progress in it. It is not 
true that such a mode of life is hard; it is easy 
and pleasant to the spirit, and becomes in due 
time like a heaven upon earth. A little patience 
and courage alone are needed. 

Gerhard Tersteegex. 



28 



/;/ Thine hand is power and /night ; and in 
Thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength 
unto all. — 1 Chron. xxix. 12. 

When I have nothing in my hand 

Wherewith to serve my King, 
When Thy commandment rinds me weak 

And wanting everything, 
My soul, upon Thy greatness cast, 

Shall rise divinely free 5 
Then will I serve with what Thou hast, 

And gird myself with Thee. 

Anna L. Waring. 

HOW are we to approach such blessed 
strength ? First of all, through a stead- 
fast will to refuse nothing that God 
requires of us, and to do nothing deliberately 
/ which can displease Him. Next, we must learn 
to take our faults humbly, as proofs of our weak- 
ness, and use them to increase our trust in God, 
and our mistrust of self. Neither must we be 
discouraged at our own wretchedness, or give 
way to the thought that we cannot do or bear 
any special thing; our duty is, while confessing 
that of ourselves it is impossible, to remember 
that God is all-powerful, and that through Him 
we can do whatever He may require of us. We 
must learn to say with St. Augustine, " Give 
me what Thou commandest, and command 
what Thou wilt." 

Jean Nicolas Grou. 



Santtarg 29 29 



The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, 
to the soul that seeketh Him. - — Lam. iii. 25. 

BE patient till your wings are grown. I 
fear very much that you are too vehement 
and headlong in your wishes and attempts 
to fly. You see the beauty of spiritual light 
and good resolutions ; you fancy that you have 
almost attained, and your ardor is redoubled ; 
you rush forward, but in vain, for your Master 
has chained you to your perch, or else it is that 
your wings are not grown ; and this constant 
excitement exhausts your strength. You must 
indeed strive to fly, but gently, without growing 
eager or restless. You resign yourself, but it 
is always with a but ; you want this and that, 
and you struggle to get it. A simple wish is 
no hindrance to resignation ; but a palpitating 
heart, a flapping of wings, an agitated will, and 
endless, quick, restless movements are unques- 
tionably caused by deficient resignation. Do 
you know what you must do ? You must be 
willing not to fly, since your wings are not yet 
grown. Do not be so eager with your vain 
desires, do not even be eager in avoiding eager- 
ness ; go on quietly in your path — it is a good 
path. 

St. Francis de Sales. 



3° 



And the Lord said, I have surely seen the afflic- 
tion of my people which are in Egypt, and have 
heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters ; for 
I know their sorrows. — Ex. iii. 7. 

Thou knowest, Lord, the weariness and sorrow 
Of the sad heart that comes to Thee for rest 5 

Cares of to-day, and burdens for to-morrow, 
Blessings implored, and sins to be confessed : 

I come before Thee at Thy gracious word, 

And lay them at Thy feet, — Thou knowest, Lord. 

Jane Borthwick. 

THAT sorrow which can be seen is the 
lightest form really, however apparently 
heavy; then there is that which is not 
seen, secret sorrows which yet can be put into 
words, and can be told to near friends as well 
as be poured out to God ; but there are sorrows 
beyond these, such as are never told, and cannot 
be put into words, and may only be wordlessly 
laid before God : these are the deepest. Now 
comes the supply for each : " I have seen " that 
which is patent and external ; " I have heard 
their cry" which is the expression of this, and 
of as much of the external as is expressible ; 
but this would not go deep enough, so God 
adds, " I know their sorrows," down to very 
depths of all, those which no eve sees or ear 
ever heard. 

F, R. Havergal. 



Stemtart) 3* 



3 1 



His heart fretteth against the Lord, — Prov. 
xix. 3. 

/ knoiv, Lord, that Thy judgments are right, 
and that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. — 
Ps, cxix. 75. 

And my soul complaineth not, 

For no pain or fears dismay her; 

Still she clings to God in faith, 

Trusts Him though He seem to slay her. 

'Tis when flesh and blood repine, 

Sun of joy, Thou canst not shine. 

JOHANN J. WlNCKLER. 

TMPATIENCE and fretting under trial does 
but increase our suffering, whereas meek 
submission sanctifies all suffering, and fills 
the tortured heart with peace amid its anguish. 
Worship Kirn in every sorrow ; worship Him 
in deed and word, but still more in humble and 
loving acceptance of each pang and heart-ache. 
Be sure that vour mere silent willing endurance 
is a true act of adoration ; and thus, come what 
may, weariness, pain, desolation, destitution, 
loneliness, all will carry on His gracious work 
.in you, and, amid the sharpest pressure of suf- 
fering, you will be sending up to His eternal 
throne the precious incense of submission and 
trust. 

Abbe Guillore. 



3* 



dfdmtart) i 



And now^ brethren, I commend xou to God, and 
to the word of His grace, which is able to build you 
up, and to give you an inheritance among all them 
that are sanctified. — Acts xx. 32. 

Only the rays of God can cure the heart, 
Purge it of evil ; there 's no other way- 
Except to turn with the whole heart to God. 

In heavenly sunlight live no shades of fear; 
The soul there, busy or at rest, hath peace; 
And music floweth from the various world. 

William Allingham. 

BREAK off things which displease God, 
and, whatever ye do, do it to please Him. 
Dedicate, morning by morning, the actions 
of the day to God; live in His Presence; offer 
to Him your acts beforehand ; recall yourself, if 
the case admits, into His Presence, in the midst 
of them ; give Him the glory with thy whole 
heart, it they be well done, since nothing good is 
our own; if they be amiss, grieve to Him. If 
we make God our end, He who gave us the 
grace thus to seek Him, will give us His love; 
He will increase our longing desire for Him ; 
and whom in all we seek, whom in all we would 
please, whom in all we would love, Him shall we 
find, Him possess, here in grace and veiled, here- 
after, in glory. 

Edward B. Pusey. 



33 



I will refine them as silver is refined, and will 
try them as gold is tried. — Zech. xiii. 9. 

AS the purifying process is carried on, u the 
refiner watches the operation, with the 
greatest earnestness, until the metal has 
the appearance of a highly polished mirror, re- 
flecting every object around it : even the refiner, 
as he looks upon the mass of metal, may see him- 
self as in a looking-glass, and thus he can form 
a very correct judgment respecting the purity of 
the metal. When he is satisfied, the fire is with- 
drawn, and the metal removed from the furnace." 
See Jesus, as the Refiner, watching " with the 
greatest earnestness " the purifying of thy soul in 
the furnace of earth. His hand has lighted the 
fire which is now separating the pure metal of 
holiness from the dross of sin in thee. His lov- 
ing eye is ever eagerlv watching for the moment 
when the purifying work is done. Then, with- 
out a moment's delay, He withdraws the fire, 
and the purified soul is removed from the furnace. 
See, again, when it is that the purification is com- 
pleted ; it is when the Image of Christ is reflected 
in us, so that He can see Himself in us as in a 
mirror. Raise your eyes, then, amidst the flames, 
and see the Face of Jesus watching you with the 
tender pity and intense interest of His love. 

George Body. 



3 



34 



&tbvuxv% 3 



/ will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong, 
and of a good courage. — Josh. i. 5, 6. 

And all the people answered with one voice, and 
said, All the words which the Lord hath said will 
we do. — Ex. xxiv. 3. 

OUR Lord teaches us not to shrink from the 
consequences which we may see to be in- 
volved in any course of duty which we 
have undertaken. He leads us to accept the re- 
sults of any high choice as they open to our mind, 
— to regard trustfully, in everv act of self-dedi- 
cation, in every resolve we are led to make, what- 
ever possibilities there may be of coming trial, 
foreseen or unforeseen, — to realize in calmness 
the future, whatever that future may be. If the 
calling of God is clear, if the sense of duty become 
the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by 
night, ever leading onward, the vision of the cross 
ought not to hinder our going forward. For one 
who has put his hand to the plough to look back 
is to become unfit for the Kingdom of Heaven. 
And equally so it must be to disobey God, if 
distrust of His upholding us in the course along 
which He would guide our steps, whatever trial 
may meet us in the path, becomes a stumbling- 
block or hindrance to our faith. 

T. T. Carter. 



What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee. — 
Ps. lvi. 3. 

They commended them to the Lord, on whom 
they believed. — Acts xiv. 23. 

\ CONSTANT anticipation of evils which 
/A perhaps never will come, a foreboding 
which takes away life and energy from 
the present, will simply hinder and cloud the soul, 
and make it timid and sad. If troublous thoughts 
as to the future will press, darkening a bright 
present, or hurrying on coming clouds, the safest 
thing is to offer them continually as they arise to 
God, offering too the future which they contem- 
plate, and asking for grace to concentrate our 
energies on the immediate duties surrounding us. 
Many have dreaded troubles which they thought 
must come ; and while they went on ever expect- 
ing to make the turn in their path which was to 
open out fully the evil, lo ! they. found that they 
had reached the journey's end, and were at the 
haven where they would be. Even for others 
it is not wise to indulge in overmuch looking 
forward in fearfulness. Come what may to the 
dearest ones we have on earth, God and His 
upholding grace will be there, and He cares for 
them more than even we can do. An earnest 
commendation to His love will avail them more 
than all our fretting. 

H. L. Sidney Lear. 



36 Mbrttarg 5 



Fear thou not ; for I am with thee ; be not dis- 
mayed ; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, 
yea, I will help thee ; yea, I will uphold thee with 
the right hand of my righteousness. — Isa. xli. 10. 

Do like a child and lean and rest 

Upon thy Father's arm; 
Pour out thy troubles on His breast, 

And thou shalt know no harm; 
Then shalt thou by His hand be brought, 
By ways which now thou knowest not, 
Up through a well-fought fight, 
To heavenly peace and light. 

Paul Gerhardt. 

USE thy utmost endeavor to attain such a 
disposition of spirit that thou mayest be- 
come one with Me, and thy will may 
become so entirely conformed to My all-perfect 
will, that not only shalt thou never desire that 
which is evil, but not even that which is good, if 
it be not according to My will; so that whatever 
shall befall thee in this earthly life, from what- 
soever quarter it may come, whether in things 
temporal or things spiritual, nothing shall ever 
disturb thy peace, or trouble thy quietness of 
spirit ; but thou shalt be established in a firm be- 
lief that I, thine omnipotent God, love thee with 
a dearer love and take of thee more watchful 
care than thou canst for thyself. 

St. Catharine of Siena. 



37 



Let not your hearts faint ; fear not, and do not 
tremble. — Deut. xx. 3. 

Thou wilt be near me, Father, when I fail, 

For Thou hast called me now to be Thy son, 
And when the foe within me may assail, 

Help me to say in Christ, " Thy will be done;" 
This ever calms," this ever gives me rest; 

There is no fight in which 1 may not stand, 
When Christ doth dwell supreme within my breast, 

And Thou uphold 1 st me with Thy mighty hand. 

Jones Very. 

THOU must begin low, and be glad of a 
little light to travel with, and be faithful 
thereunto; and in faithfulness expect 
additions of light, and so much power as may 
help thee to rub on. And though thou may be 
Ions; weak and little, and ready to perish; yet 
the Father will help thee, and cause His life to 
shoot up in thee. Thankfully receive the small- 
est visitation that comes from Him to thy soul; 
for there is life and peace in it, and death and 
perplexity in turning from it. 

Isaac Penington. 
All the evil we do not commit, all the temp- 
tations to which we do not consent or which 
never visit us ; all our holy thoughts and good 
intentions, all our longings' after that which is 
right, — are so many witnesses of His loving 
kindness towards us.' How could He help you 
thus unless He cared for you ? 

Charles de Condren. 



38 



dfdmt<m> 7 



Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so 
be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. — Rom. 
viii. 9. 

THAT life is carnal in which our spirit, 
meant for God, is dragged at the chariot- 
wheels of our lower life; and that is 
spiritual which is ruled and mastered by the Spirit. 
Secular business is spiritual if it is ruled by the 
divine Spirit according to the law of righteous- 
ness. Politics are spiritual, commercial and 
municipal life are spiritual, art and science are 
spiritual, and everything that develops our fac- 
ulties is spiritual, if we will allow the divine 
Spirit to rule in all according to the law of 
righteousness, truth, and beautv. For the 
whole of our being, with all its sum of faculties, 
is made by God and meant for God. 

Charles Gore, 

It is the very business of vour life to cultivate 
every faculty you have ('the highest most, and 
most in the highest directions), in the belief that 
He has given them to you that vou may become 
His instruments for usefulness; and that He 
asks this of you, because, if vou grant it, vou 
enable Him to give you more' of His own hap- 
piness than vou can otherwise receive, and far 
more than you can imagine. 

Theophilus Parsons. 



&tbVU8VQ 8 



39 



In the shadow of His hand hath He hid me, 
and made me a polished shaft ; in His quiver hath 
He hid me ; and said unto me, Thou art my ser- 
vant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. — 

ISA. xlix. 2, 3. 

The glory is not in the task, but in 
The doing it for Him. 

Jean Ingelow. 

IT is wholly impossible to live according to 
Divine order, and to make a proper applica- 
tion of heavenly principles, as long as the 
necessary duties which each day brings seem 
only like a burden grievous to be borne. Not 
till we are ready to throw our very life's love 
into the troublesome little things can we be really 
faithful in that which is least and faithful also in 
much. Every dav that dawns brings something 
to do, which can never be done as well again. 
We should, therefore, try to do it ungrudgingly 
and cheerfully. It is the Lord's own work, which 
He has given us as surely as He gives us daily 
bread. We should thank Him for it with all 
our hearts, as much as for any other gift. It 
was designed to be our life, our happiness. In- 
stead of shirking it or hurrying over it, we 
should put our whole heart and soul into it. 

James Reed. 



40 &chvxmv$> 9 



Pray without ceasing. In everything give 
thanks : for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus 
concerning you. — I Thess. v. 17, 18. 

As Thou, Lord, an immortal soul 

Hast breathed into me, 
So let my soul be breathing forth 

Immortal thanks to Thee. 

John Mason. 

LET us not be content to pray morning and 
evening, but let us live in prayer all day 
long. Let this prayer, this life of love, 
which means death to self, spread out from 
our seasons of prayer, as from a centre, over all 
that we have to do. All should become prayer, 
that is, a loving consciousness of God's pres- 
ence, whether it be social intercourse or business. 
Such a course as this will ensure you a profound 
peace. 

Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 

How are we to fulfil our Lord's injunction, 
u that men ought always to pray, and not to 
faint " ? By the heart's prayer, which consists 
in a constant habitual love of God, trusting 
Him, submitting in all things to His will; and 
by giving a never failing heed to His voice, as 
heard within the conscience. 

Jean Nicolas Grou. 



41 



It is good that a man quietly wait for the salva- 
tion of the Lord. — Lam. iii. 26. 

In to Thy silent place of prayer 

The anxious, wandering mind recall — 
Dwell 'mid Thy own creation there, 

Restoring, claiming, hallowing all. 
Then the calm spirit, won from sin,- 

Thy perfect sacrifice shall be, 
And all the ransomed powers therein 

Shall go forth, glorifying Thee. 

Anna L. Waring. 

TAKE time to be separate from all friends 
and all duties, all cares and all joys ; time 
to be still and quiet before God; Take 
time not only to secure stillness from man and 
the world, but from self and its energy. Let the 
Word and prayer be very precious ; but remem- 
ber, even these may hinder the quiet waiting. 
The activity of the mind in studying the Word, 
or giving expression to its thoughts in prayer, 
the activities of the heart, with its desires and 
hopes and fears, may so engage us that we do 
not come to the still waiting on the All-Glorious 
One. Though at first it may appear difficult 
to know how thus quietly to wait, with the ac- 
tivities of mind and heart for a time subdued, 
every effort after it will be rewarded ; we shall 
find that it grows upon us, and the little season 
of silent worship will bring a peace and a rest 
that give a blessing not only in prayer, but all the 
dav. Andrew Murray. 



4* 



Be ye kind one to another. — Eph. iv. 32. 

THE remedy for sadness is prayer. But 
as sadness broods in selfishness, and is 
inclined to rest rather in our own un- 
happy thoughts than on God, the soul turns to 
prayer with reluctance. Hence the saddened 
one must first turn to God by vocal praver, per- 
severing in which that reluctance will be over- 
come; and as the sadness subsides, the spirit 
will enter anew into the heart of praver. The 
second remedy against sadness is to break out 
of it by some external act of kindness or gener- 
osity. For the malady consists in a morbid 
concentration upon one's self, and a brooding 
within one's self that repels sympathy and kind- 
ness, as being adverse to this melancholy mood, 
a mood that can only be cherished in isolation 
of spirit. But let the will make a little effort 
to be kind and considerate towards another; 
and it is amazing how soon that malignant 
charm is broken that held the soul spell-bound 
to her saddened thoughts and imaginary griev- 
ances. A smile, a kind look, a few gentle 
words, a considerate action, though begun with 
effort, will suffice to open the soul, and set the 
spirit free from its delusion. 

William Bernard Ullathorne. 



To cultivate kindness is a great part of the 
business of life. Samuel Johnson. 



tfthvxwvij 12 



43 



Search me, O God, and know my heart; try 
me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any 
wicked way in me, and lead me in the way ever- 
lasting. — Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24. 

" \ M I really what I ought to be ? Am I 
f\ what, in the bottom of my heart, I 
honestly wish to be ? . Am I living a 
life at all like 'what I myself approve? My 
secret nature, the true complexion of my char- 
acter, is hidden from all men, and only I know 
it. Is it such as I should be willing to show ? 
Is my soul at all like what my kindest and most 
intimate friends believe ? Is my heart at all 
such as I should wish the Searcher of Hearts 
to judge me by ? Is every year adding to my 
devotion, to my unselfishness, to my conscien- 
tiousness, to my freedom from the hypocrisy of 
seeming so much better than I am ? When 
I compare myself with last year, am I more 
ready to surrender myself at the call of duty ? 
am I more alive to the commands of con- 
science ? have I shaken off my besetting sins ? 
These are the questions which this season ot 
Lent ought to find us putting fairly and honestly 
to our hearts. 

Frederick Temple. 



44 tfthVUKV}} 13 



Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the - 
truth through the Spirit. — 1 Peter i. 22. 

Thy wonderful grand will, my God! 

Triumphantly I make it mine ; 
And faith shall breathe her glad " Amen" 

To every dear command of Thine. 

Jean Sophia Pigott. 

YOU little think how much the life of all 
your graces depends upon your ready and 
cordial obedience to the Spirit. When 
the Spirit urgeth thee to secret prayer, and thou 
refusest obedience; when He forbids thee a 
known transgression, and yet thou wilt go on ; 
when He telleth thee which is the way, and 
which not, and thou wilt not regard, — no wonder 
if heaven and thy soul be strange. 

Richard Baxter. 

Whatever the particular call is, the particular 
sacrifice God asks you to make, the particular 
cross He wishes you to embrace, whatever the 
particular path He wants you to tread, will you 
rise up, and say in your heart, " Yes, Lord, I 
accept it ; I submit, I yield, I pledge myself to 
walk in that path, and to follow that Voice, 
and to trust Thee with the consequences " ? 
Oh! but you say, " I don't know what He will 
want next." No, we none of us know that, 
but we know we shall be safe in His hands. 

Catherine Booth. 



45 



Walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto 
His kingdom and glory. — 1 Thess. ii. 12. 

AMID our most trivial duties, on days 
which are passing in the usual round of 
uneventful routine, He may speak to us 
as never before. A quiet word may be dropped 
by a friend, — a sentence read in a book, — a 
thought lodged, we know not how or why, in 
the mind. We are laid under obligations to a 
new and more imperious view of life and duty. 
There is, of course, room for self-delusion of 
many kinds in the supposed visit of the heavenly 
call. But we are tolerably safe if two condi- 
tions are observed, — if, first, the duty or line 
of life prescribed is unwelcome to our natural 
inclinations ; and if, secondly, it does not contra- 
dict what we know God has taught us hitherto. 
To listen for the footsteps of the divine Re- 
deemer passing by us in the ordinary provi- 
dences of life is a most important part of the 
probation of every man. How much may de- 
pend upon following when He beckons us to 
some higher duty, to some more perfect service, 
we shall only know when we see all things as 
they really are in the light of His eternity. 

H. P. LlDDON. 

I will charge my soul to believe and wait 
for Him, and will follow His providence, and 
not go before it, nor stay behind k. 

Samuel Rutherford. 



4 6 



&thvuavt> 15 



/ therefore so run, not as uncertainly ; so fight /, 
not as one that beateth the air; but I keep under my 
body, and bring it into subjection. — 1 Cor. ix. 
26, 27. 

THE slack, indolent temperament, disposed 
to self-indulgence and delav, will find a 
very practical and helpful discipline in 
strict punctuality, a fixed habit of rising to the 
minute, when once a time is settled on ; in being 
always ready for meals, or the various daily 
matters in which our unpunctuality makes others 
uncomfortable. Persons have found their whole 
spiritual life helped and strengthened by stead- 
fastly conquering a habit of dawdling, or of 
reading newspapers and desultory bits ot books, 
when they ought to be settling about some duty. 

H. L. Sidney Lear. 

Let us " redeem the time." Desultory work- 
ing, fitful planning, irregular reading, ill-assorted 
hours, perfunctory or unpunctual execution ot 
business, hurry and bustle, loitering and un- 
readiness, — these, and such like, are the things 
which take out the whole pith and power from 
life, which hinder holiness, and which eat like 
a canker into our moral being. 

HORATTUS BONAR, 



dTelmtart) 16 



47 



I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you 
that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye 
are called. — Eph. iv. i. 

Knowing Thou needest this form, as I Thy divine in- 
spiration, 

Knowing Thou shapest the clay with a vision and pur- 
pose divine, 

So would I answer each touch of Thy hand in its loving 
creation, 

That in my conscious life Thy beauty and power may 
shine. 

Christopher P. Cranch, 

LET us examine our capacities and gifts, and 
then put them to the best use we may. As 
our own view of life is of necessity partial, 
I do not find that we can do better than to put 
them absolutely in God's hand, and look to Him 
for the direction of our life-energy. God can 
do great things with our lives, if we but give them 
to Him in sincerity. He can make them useful, 
uplifting, heroic. God never wastes anything. 
God never forgets anything. God never loses 
anything. As long as we live we have a work 
to 'do. We shall never be too old for it, nor too 
feeble. Illness, weakness, fatigue, sorrow, — 
none of these things can excuse us from this 
work of ours. That we are alive to-day is proof 
positive that God has something for us to do 
to-day. 

Anna R. B. Lindsay. 



48 Jfdjrttarg 17 



/ the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and 
will hold thine hand, and will keep thee. — Isa. 
xlii. 6. 

DON'T be content with spending all your 
time on your faults, but try to get a step 
nearer to God. It is not He who is far 
away from us, but we from Him. If you ask 
me the best means to persevere, I would say, if 
you have succeeded in getting hold of Almighty 
God's hand, don't let it go. Keep hold of Him 
by constantly renewing ejaculatory prayers to 
Him, acts of desire, and the seeking to please 
Him in little things. 

Mother Francis Raphael. 

Strive to be as a little child who, while its 
mother holds its hand, goes on fearlessly, and is 
not disturbed because it stumbles and trips in its 
weakness. So long as God holds you up by the 
will and determination to serve Him with which 
He inspires you, go on boldly and do not be 
frightened at your little checks and falls, so long 
as you can throw yourself into His arms in trust- 
ing love. Go there with an open, joyful heart 
as often as possible; if not always joyful, at least 
go with a brave and faithful heart. 

St. Francis de Sales. 



dFefcrttari) 18 



49 



Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace : 
thereby good shall come unto thee, — Job xxii. 21. 

DON'T be unwise enough to think that we 
are serving God best by constant activity 
at the cost of headaches and broken rest. 
I am getting to be of the opinion that we may be 
doing too much. We want — at least this is my 
own want — a higher quality of work. Our 
labor should be to maintain unbroken commu- 
nion with our blessed Lord ; then we shall have 
entire rest, and God abiding in us \ that which 
we do will not be ours, but His. 

John Kenneth Mackenzie. 

Our object in life should not be so much to get 
through a great deal of work, as to give perfect 
satisfaction to Him for whom we are doing the 
work. Wm. Hay M. H. Aitkex. 

Let me not seek out of Thee what I can only 
find in Thee, peace and rest and joy and bliss, 
which abide onlv in Thv abiding joy. Lift up 
mv soul above the weary round of harassing 
thoughts to Thv eternal Presence. Lift up mv 
soul to the pure, bright, clear,' serene, radiant 
atmosphere of Thy Presence, that there I may 
breathe freelv, there repose in Thy love, there be 
at rest from mvself and from all things that 
wearv me ; thence return, arraved with Thy 
peace, to do and bear what shall please Thee. 

E. B. Pusey. 

4 



5° 



jfdmtart) 19 



God is able to make all grace abound toward 
you : that ye a he ays having all sufficiency in all 
things, max abound to every z r ^ r ^d work, — 2 Cor. 
ix. 8.. 

O Love, Thy sovereign aid impart 

To save me from low-thoughted care \ 

Chase this self-will through all my heart, 
Through all its latent mazes there 5 

Make me Thy duteous child, that I 
Ceaseless may ( £ Abba, Father 5 ' cry. 

Gerhard Tersteegen. 

THE grace which keeps me from falling 
one inch further, irrecoverably, and is 
not worn out by nay provocations in this 
wilderness, is simply more visibly alive and active 
in mv most certain experiences, more prompt, 
more steady, than I have any experience of among 
material things and persons. Everything material 
is simply feeble ; and everything personal is 
shadowv, as compared with this personality un- 
der whose shadow I am allowed to dwell. And 
all this is the more extraordinary because of the 
hurry, hotness, dryness, aridity of the life I am 
obliged to live in London, if correspondence, in- 
terviews, letters, are to be kept down and dealt 
with at all. The want of time to read and think, 
the shortness and distractions of prayer, seem to 
threaten one's very existence as a conscious child 
of God. And vet He is on my right hand and 
I know it. 

Edward White Benson. 



dfeftrttarg 20 51 



My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into 
divers temptations ; knowing this, that^ the trying 
of your faith worketh patience. — Jas. i. 2, 3. 

TEMPTATION is surely an assault to be 
withstood, but at the same time it is an 
opportunity to be seized. Viewed in this 
light, life becomes inspiring, not in spite but 
because of its struggles, and we are able to greet 
the unseen with a cheer, counting it unmixed joy 
when we fall into the many temptations which, 
varied in form, dog our steps from the cradle to 
the grave. The soldier who is called to the front 
is stimulated, not depressed; the officer who is 
bidden by his general to a post of great responsi- 
bility, and so of hardship and peril, is thrilled with 
the joy of his task. An opportunity has been 
given him to prove himself worthy of great trust, 
which can be done only at the cost of great trouble. 

This is a true picture of temptation. And the 
result of it all is a nature invigorated and refined, 
a character made capable of close friendship with 
God, to say nothing of the unmeasured joy that 
is the attendant of nobility of soul and stalwart 
Christian manhood. Charles H. Brent. 

Every trial that we pass through is capable of 
being the seed of a noble character. Every temp- 
tation that we meet in the path of duty is another 
chance of filling our souls with the power of 
Heaven. Frederick Temple. 



JFtbvuavt) 21 



I will delight myself in Thy commandments^ which 
I have loved. — Ps. cxix. 47. 

THIS everlasting and compunctious study 
oi duty, — duty to everybody, everywhere, 
every day, — it keeps you questioning all 
the while, rasping in a torment of debates "and 
compunctions, till you almost groan aloud for 
weariness. It is as if your life itself were slavery. 
And then you say, with a sigh, " Oh, if I had 
nothing to do but just to be with Christ per- 
sonally, and have my duty solely as with Him, 
how sweet and blessed and secret and free would 
it be." \\ ell, you may have it so; exactly this 
you may do and nothing more ! Sad mistake that 
you should ever have thought otherwise! what 
a loss of privilege has it been ! Come back then 
to Christ, retire into the secret place of His love, 
and have your whole duty personally as with Him. 
Only then you will make this very welcome dis- 
covery, that, as you are personally given up to 
Christ's person, you are going where He eoes, 
helping what He does, keeping ever dear, bright 
company with Him, in all His motions of good 
and sympathy, refusing even to let Him suffer 
without suffering with Him. And so vou will 
do a great many more duties than vou even think 
of now; only they will all be sweet and easy 
and tree, even as your love is. 

Horace Bushnell. 



dfe&rttarg 22 



53 



Glory ye in His holy name ; let the heart of 
them rejoice that seek the Lord. — Ps. cv. 3. 

Fear not^ little flock; for it is your Father s 
good pleasure to give you the kingdom. — Luke 
xii. 32. 

I know not what it is to doubt, 

My heart is ever gay \ 
I run no risk, for come what will. 

Thou always hast Thy way. 

Frederick Wm. Faber. 

THIS way of seeing our Father in every- 
thing makes life one long thanksgiving, 
and gives a rest of heart, and, more than 
that, a gayety of spirit, that is unspeakable. Some 
one says, " God's will on earth is always joy, 
always tranquillity." And since He must have 
His own way concerning His children, into 
what wonderful green pastures of inward rest, 
and beside what blessedly still waters of inward 
refreshment is the soul led that learns this 
secret. If the will of God is our will, and 
if He always has His way, then we always 
have our way also, and we reign in a per- 
petual kingdom. He who sides with God 
cannot fail to win in every encounter ; and, 
whether the result shall be joy or sorrow, failure 
or success, death or life, we may, under all 
circumstances, join in the Apostle's shout of 
victory, " Thanks be unto God which always 
causeth us to triumph in Christ ! " 

Hannah Whitall Smith. 



54 JftftYUKVQ 23 



For this is the love of God, that we keep His 
commandments ; and His commandments are not 
grievous. — 1 John v. 3. 

His commandments grievous are not, 
Longer than men think them so 5 

Though He send me forth, I care not, 
Whilst He gives me strength to go. 

Francis Quarles. 

FOR nothing is grievous or burdensome to 
him who loves. They are not grievous, 
because love makes them light ; they are 
not grievous, because Christ gives strength to bear 
them. Wings are no weight to the bird, which 
they lift up in the air until it is lost in the sky 
above us, and we see it no more, and hear only 
its note of thanks. God's commands are no 
weight to the soul which, through His Spirit, 
He upbears to himself \ nay, rather, the soul, 
through them, the more soars aloft and loses it- 
self in the love of God. " The commandments 
of God are not grievous," because we have a 
power implanted in us mightier than all which 
would dispute the sway of God's command- 
ments and God's love, a power which would 
lift us above all hindrances, carry us over all 
temptations, impel our listlessness, sweep with 
it whatever opposes it, sweep with it even the 
dulness or sluggishness of our own wills, — the 
almighty power of the grace of God. 

Edward B. Pusey. 



55 



Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner- 
stone ; in whom all the building fitly framed together 
groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord : in whom 
ye also are budded together for an habitation of 
God through the Spirit. — Eph. ii. 20-22. 

When God afflicts thee, think He hews a rugged stone, 
Which must be shaped, or else aside as useless thrown. 

Richard Chenevix Trench. 

WHAT comforts me is the thought that 
we are being shaped here below into 
stones for the heavenly temple, — that 
to be made like Him is the object of our earthly 
existence. He is the shaper and carpenter of 
the heavenly temple. He must work us into 
shape, our part is to be still in His hands ; 
everv vexation is a little chip ; also we must 
not be in a hurry to go oat of the quarry, for 
there is a certain place for each stone, and we 
must wait till the building is ready for that 
stone ; it would put out the building if we were 
taken pell-mell. Charles George Gordon. 

Oh, thrice fools are we, who like new-born 
princes weeping in the cradle, know not that 
there is a kingdom before them ; then, let our 
Lord's sweet hand square us, and hammer us, 
and strike off the knots of pride, self-love, and 
world-worship, and infidelity, that He may 
make us stones and pillars in His Father's 
house. Samuel Rutherford. 



56 



dfd&rttarg 25 



Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory 
both now and for ever. Amen. — 2 Peter iii. 18 
( R. V.). 

Did not our heart burn within us, while He 
talked with us by the way, and while He opened to 
us the Scriptures? — Luke xxiv. 32, 

NOTHING could make the period of 
Lent so much of a reality as to employ it 
in a systematic effort to fix the mind on 
Jesus. The history in the Gospels is so well 
worn that it often slips through the head with- 
out affecting the heart. But if, retiring into 
solitude for a portion of each day, we should 
select some one scene or trait or incident in the 
life of Jesus, and with all the helps we can get 
seek to understand it fully, tracing it in the 
other evangelists, comparing it with other pas- 
sages of Scripture, etc., we should find ourselves 
insensibly interested, and might hope that, in "this 
effort of our souls to understand Him, Jesus Him- 
self would draw near, as He did of old to the dis- 
ciples on the wav to Emmaus. This looking 
unto Jesus and thinking about Him is a better 
wav to meet and overcome sin than any physi- 
cal austerities or spiritual self-reproaches. It is 
by looking at Him, the Apostle says, " as in a 
glass," that we are " changed into the same im- 
age, as from glory to glory." 

Harriet Beecher Stowe. 



jFdjrttari) 26 



57 



Do not I fill heaven and earth, saith the Lord. 
— Jer. xxiii. 24. 

Let me not dwell so much within 

My bounded heart, with anxious heed — 

Where all my searches meet with sin, 
And nothing satisfies my need — 

It shuts me from the sound and sight 

Of that pure world of life and light. 

Anna L. Waring. 

DO you think that the infinite God cannot 
fill and satisfy your heart ? 

Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 

Let not cares, riches, pleasures of this world, 
choke the heart, which was formed to contain the 
love of God. Pray, and all is thine. Thine is 
God Himself, who teacheth thee to pray for Him- 
self. To pray is to go forth from earth, and to 
live in Heaven. Edward B. Pusey. 

The vision of God is indeed the transfiguration 
of the world \ communion with God is the 
inspiration of life. That vision, that commun- 
ion, Christ by His coming has made our abiding 
inheritance. As often as the Christian touches 
heaven, the heaven which lies about us though 
our eyes are holden that we should not see it, he 
is again filled with the powers of the world to 
come. Then reverence finds its perfect satisfac- 
tion ; then devotion finds its invincible strength. 

Brooke Foss Westcott. 



58 



Jfeirttarg 27 



Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of 
God, that ye may be able to withstand in the^ evil 
day, and, having done all, to stand. — Eph. vi. 13. 

That he may please him who hath chosen him 
to be a soldier. — 2 Tim. ii. 4. 

Soldiers of Christ, arise, 

And put your armor on, 
Strong in the strength which God supplies 

Through His eternal Son. 

Charles Wesley. 



WHITHER goest thou ? 
Where is thy soul ? 
Is it in peace ? 
If troubled, why ? 

How art thou fulfilling the duties of thy po- 
sition ? 

What are they ? 

What effort 'hast thou made to amend thy 
disposition, and conquer thy sins ? 

Hast thou been faithful to the light God has 

given thee ? 

What means shouldst thou use, especially with 
regard to thy most besetting sin or temptation ? 

Hast thou fought against it ? 

Hast thou thought about it at all ? 

What hast thou done with the circumstances 
of the last month ? 

Have they wrought God's work in thee ? 

Pere Ravignan. 



tfebvwvr) 28 



59 



Mercy unto you, and peace, and love be multiplied. 
JUDE 2. 

He that loveth not knoweth not God ; for God is 
love. — 1 John iv. 8. 

He rests in God and He in him, 

Who still abides in love ; 
In love the saints and seraphim 

Obey and praise above 5 
For God is love ; the loveless heart 
Hath in His life and joy no part. 

C. F. Gellert. 

DIVINE love is perfect peace and joy, it is 
a freedom from all disquiet, it is all con- 
tent and happiness ; and makes every- 
thing to rejoice in itself. Love is the Christ of 
God ; wherever it comes, it comes as the blessing 
and happiness of every natural life, a redeemer 
from all evil, a fulfilier of all righteousness, and 
a peace of God, which passeth all understanding. 
Through all the universe of things, nothing is 
uneasy, unsatisfied, or restless, but because it is 
not governed by love, or because its nature has 
not reached or attained the full birth of the spirit 
of love. For when that is done, every hunger is 
satisfied, and all complaining, murmuring, accu- 
sing, resenting, revenging, and striving, are as 
totally suppressed and overcome, as the coldness, 
thickness, and horror of darkness are suppressed 
and overcome by the breaking forth of the light. 

William Law. 



6o 



Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be 
much required. — Luke xii. 48. 

GOD is ever seeking an entrance, and the 
avenue to the heart is closed against Him ; 
He enters in, and is rudely thronged, or 
jostled, or civilly put off, or promised an audience 
at a more convenient season, if He is not, by 
deadly sin, cast out. How many calls by God's 
providence, by the tender austerity of His afflic- 
tions, by His compassion, His bounties, by the 
deaths of others, or our own prolonged lives when 
we seemed nigh unto death, bv the beautv of 
truth, by the unsatisfactoriness of things present, 
by some sight, even if afar off, of things eternal, 
by the sense of His presence by the ocean of 
whose love we are encompassed, by some sensible 
sweetness over-streaming us, — any one of these 
might have been a lasting conversion to God, and 
where have they left us ? Above the common 
gifts to all, our creation, preservation, and all the 
blessings of this life; besides that universal gift of 
u the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus 
Christ," we thank Him for that which is varied 
to each, " the means of grace." What we have 
had might have made glorious saints of those who 
have had less, 

E. B. Pusey. 



iftarcft i 



61 



For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain . . . 
having a desire to depart and to be with Christ 
which is far better. — Phil. i. 21, 23. 

IF I were annihilated this moment, I should 
bless God for having been allowed to live. 
Far more, if I were to have to toil and suffer 
in this sorrowful but glorious earth-life through 
unnumbered ages, and the sorrow and suffering 
continued to bring the living life with it that it 
has brought, I would gladlv accept sorrow and 
suffering here on earth. How much more, then, 
when I expect, and am sure, that a very few years 
more will place me with these precious life- 
powers in a world fitted for highest life, with life 
intensified, and all the pure great life of ages 
gathered there, besides those whom I have dearly 
loved. 

Edward Thring. 

Our present life in Christ may be compared to 
that of the seed ; a hidden life, contending under- 
ground against cold and darkness and obstructions, 
vet bearing within its breast the indestructible 
germ of vitality. Death lifts the soul into the 
sunshine for which a hidden, invisible work has 
prepared it. Heaven is the life of the flower. 

Dora Greenwell. 



62 MXVtfl 2 



To give knowledge of salvation unto Hi: people 
by the remission of their sins, through the tender 
mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on 
high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit 
in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our 
feet into the way of peace, — Luke i. 77-79. 

I BELIEVE that love reigns, and that love 
will prevail. I believe that He savs to me 
every morning, " Begin again thy journey 
and thy life; thy sins, which are many, are not 
only forgiven, but they shall be made, by the 
wisdom of God, the basis on which He will build 
blessings." • Thomas Erskine. 

There is no thirst of the soul so consuming as 
the desire for pardon. The sense of its bestowal 
is the starting-point of all goodness. It comes 
bringing with it, if not the freshness of inno- 
cence, yet a glow of inspiration that nerves feeble 
hands for hard tasks, a fire of hope that lights 
anew the old high ideal, so that it stands before 
the eye in clear relief, beckoning us to make it 
our own. To be able to look into God's face, 
and know with the knowledge of faith that there 
is nothing between the soul and Him, is to experi- 
ence the fullest peace the soul can know. What- 
ever else pardon may be, it is above all things 
admission into full fellowship with God. 

Charles H. Brent. 



iHarcft 3 



63 



Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. 
Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and 
He delivered them out of their distresses. — Ps. 
cvii. 5, 6. 

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst 
after righteousness, for they shall be filled. — 
Matt. v. 6. 

Thou nearest the hungry ravens when they cry, 
And to Thy children shalt thou not send bread, 

Who on Thy aid alone for help rely, 

And in the steps of Christ alone would tread ? 

They shall not cry for righteousness in vain, 

But bread from heaven Thy hand shall soon supply. 

Jones Very. 

IF God had not said, Blessed are those that 
hunger, I know not what could keep weak 
Christians from sinking in despair ; many 
times all I can do is to find and complain that I 
want Him, and wish to recover Him; now this 
is my stay, that He in mercy esteems us not only 
by having, but by desiring also ; and, after a sort, 
accounts us to have that which we want and 
desire to have. Joseph Hall. 

Honest sighing is faith breathing and whisper- 
ing in the ear; the life is not out of faith, where 
there is sighing, looking up with the eyes, and 
breathing toward God. Samuel Rutherford. 

He never vet rejected the feeble soul which 
clung to Him in love. H. L. Sidney Lear. 



64 



iHarrlt 4 



God, who commanded the light to shine out of 
darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light 
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of 
Jesus Christ. — 2 Cor. iv. 6. 

Surely, He hath borne our griefs, and carried our 
sorrows. — Isa. Hii. 4. 

THE way to think of God so as to know 
Him, is to think of Christ. Then we 
see Him, and can understand how ten- 
der and merciful and good He is. We see 
that if He sends us sorrows and difficulties, He 
onlv sends them because they are the true 
blessings, the things that are truly good. He 
would have us like Himself, with a happiness 
like His own, and nothing below it ; and so as 
His own happiness is in taking sorrow and infir- 
mity, and ever assisting, and giving and sacrificing 
Himself, He gives us sorrows too, and weak- 
nesses, which are not the evils that we think 
them, but are what we should be most happy in, 
if we were perfect and had knowledge like Him. 
So there is a use and a service in all we bear, in 
all we do, which we do not know, but which 
He knows, and which in Christ He shows to 
us. It is a use for others, a hidden use, but one 
which makes ail our life rich, and that richest 
which is most like Christ's. 

James Hwton. 



ffiavtfi 5 



65 



God, that which Thou hast wrought for us. 
— Ps. Ixviii. 28. 

Fear not, nor be dismayed', be strong, and of good 
courage. — Josh. x. 25. 

veil, of naught afraid, 
1 braver knight, 

J. H. BOHMERj I704. 

HENCEFORTH my soul -should light 
with the prestige of victory, with the 
courage that comes of having striven 
and won, trusted and not been confounded. 

Juliana H. Ewing. 

They have had their victories ; and when the 
stress is hardest, it is wise to look back on these 
for encouragement, as song;s of joy and triumph 
bring strength and support along a way beset 
with pain and sorrow and disappointments; 
which, when seen in their true proportions, are 
onlv as faint specks showing in a universe of 
infinite light. 

Laurence Oliphant. 



Each batt 
Each foe 



66 



iHsrrlx 6 



According to your faith be it unto you, — Matt. 
ix. 29. 

Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, 
thou shouldest see the glory of God? — John xi. 40. 

I FIND that while faith is steady nothing 
can disquiet me, and when faith totters 
nothing can establish me. If I ramble 
out among means and creatures, I am presently 
lost, and can come to no end But if I stay 
myself on God, and leave Him to work in His 
own way and time, I am at rest, and can lie 
down and sleep in a promise, though a thousand 
rise up against me. Therefore ray way is not 
to cast beforehand, but to walk with God by 
the day. Keep close to God, and then you 
need fear nothing. Maintain secret and inti- 
mate acquaintance with Him, and then a little 
of the creature will go a great way. Crowd not 
religion into a corner of the day. Would men 
spend those hours they wear out in plots and 
devices in communion with God, and leave all 
on Him bv venturesome believing, they would 
have more peace and comfort. 

Joseph Eliot, 1664. 

Faith is the better of the free air, and of the 
sharp winter storm in its face. 

Samuel Rutherford. 



m 

iHarcft 7 



67 



Fear not, neither be discouraged. — Deut. i. 2 1 . 

Happy are they that learn, in Thee, 
Though patient suffering teach, 

The secret of enduring strength, 
And praise too deep for speech, — 

Peace that no pressure from without, 

Anna L. Waring. 



ONE of the greatest trials and miseries of 
this life seems to me to he the absence 

of a grand t0 kee P the bodv under 

control-, illnesses and grievous afflictions, though 
thev are a trial, I think nothing of, if the soul 
is strong; for it praises God, and sees that 
everything comes from His hand. 

St. Teresa, 

Manv say thev have no peace nor rest, but 
so manv crosses and trials, afflictions and sor- 
rows, that thev know not how thev shall ever 
o-et through them. Now he who in truth will 
perceive and take note, perceiveth clearly that 
true peace and rest lie not in outward things. 
There liveth no man on earth who may always 
have rest and peace without troubles and crosses. 
Wherefore yield thyself willingly to them, and 
seek onlv that true peace of the heart, which 
none can take away from thee, that thou mayest 
overcome all assaults. 

Theologia Germanica. 



68 



iHarrft 8 



Nay^ in all these things tve are more than con- 
querors through Him that loved us. — Rom. viii. 37. 

Lord, in this awful fight with Sin 

I would not just prevail ; 
Against each lust so strong within 

I would not almost tail. 
Full, gladsome, glorious victory 

Should crown the Holv War 5 
Lord ! I would triumph well — would be 

A more than conqueror, 

Thomas H. Gill, 

DO not try onlv to abstain from sin, but 
strive, by God's grace, to gain the oppo- 
site grace. Ir thou wouldest not slip 
back into sin, thou must stretch forward to 
Christ and His holiness. It is a dull, heavy, 
dreary, toilsome way, just to avoid sin. Thou 
wouldest not simply not be impatient; thou 
wouldest long to be like thy Lord, who was 
meek and lowly of heart. Thou wouldest not 
only not openly murmur; thou wouldest surely 
long, like the beloved Apostle, to rest on Jesus' 
breast, and will what He wills. 

Edward B. Pusey. 

The onlv real relief is in absolute conquest ; 
and the earlier the battle begins, the easier and 
the shorter it will be. If one can keep irrita- 
bility under, one may escape a struggle to the 
death with passion. 

Juliana H. Ewing. 



iHavtft 9 



6 9 



The Lord is my light and my salvation ; whom 
shall I fear ? the Lord is the strength of my life ; 
of whom shall I be afraid? — Ps. xxvii. I. 

God is my strong salvation, 

What foe have I to fear ? 
In darkness and temptation, 

My light, my help, is near. 
Though hosts encamp around me, 

Firm to the right I stand, 
What terror can confound me 

With God at my right hand ? 

James Montgomery. 

ALL the spiritual enemies, all the enemies 
of a man's own house, are to be destroyed 
by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
working by His grace in the heart. And when 
salvation 'is brought home to the heart, and 
wrought out there by the Lord, it is to be en- 
joyed and abode in, and the soul is not to return 
back again into captivity ; but, being delivered 
out of the hands of its inward and spiritual ene- 
mies, is to serve God in the dominion of His 
Son's life, in holiness and righteousness all its 
days here upon the earth. 

Isaac Pexington. 

Who does not know what it is to rise up 
from a fault — perceived, confessed, and forgiven 
— with an almost joyous sense of new energy, 
strength, and will to persevere ? 

H. L. Sidney Lear. 



7o 



Mavtfi io 



Thou art my hiding-place ; Thou sbalt preserve 
me from trouble ; Thou shalt compass me about with 
songs of deliverance, — Ps. xxxii. 7. 

Fearest sometimes that thy Father 

Hath forgot ? 
When the clouds around thee gather, 

Doubt Him not. 
Always hath the daylight broken, — 
Always hath He comfort spoken, — 
Better hath He been for years 

Than thy fears. 

Karl Rudolph Hagenbach. 

IT is the indwelling Presence of God, believed 
in, trusted, reverenced, recollected, which 
ought to become the support to meet every 
case of trouble. The soul finds rest from its 
perplexities, as it turns from what perplexes and 
disturbs it, to fix its gaze and hope and purpose 
on Him. If there be a pressure of distress, or 
anxiety, or care, or perplexity of any kind, a 
heavy burden weighing down the spirits, then let 
the soul look off for a moment from itself, and 
from the trying object, to God. The recollection 
of His presence within, ever abiding, continually 
renewed by perpetual communion, would secure 
to the soul, if duly and constantly cherished, an 
habitual life of rest. T. T. Carter 

What harm can happen to him who knows 
that God does everything, and who loves before- 
hand everything that God does ?. 

Madame Swetchine. 



iHarrft n 



71 



Thou, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that 
is in Christ Jesus. — 2 Tim. ii. 1. 

I would arise in all Thy strength 

My place on earth to fill, 
To work out all my time of war 

With love's unflinching will. 
Firm against every doubt ot Thee 

For all my future way — 
To walk in Heaven's eternal light 

Throughout the changing day. 

Anna L. Waring. 

EVERY trouble is an opportunity to win the 
grace of strength. Whatever else trouble 
Ts in the world for, it is here for this good 
purpose : to develop strength. For a trouble is a 
moral and spiritual task. It is something which 
is hard to do. And it is in the spiritual world as 
in the physical, strength is increased by encounter 
with the difficult. A world without any trouble 
in it would be, to people of our kind, a place of 
spiritual enervation and moral laziness. Fortu- 
natelv, every day is crowded with care. Every 
day to every one of us brings its questions, its 
worries, and its tasks, brings ks sufficiency of 
trouble. Thus we get our daily spiritual exer- 
cise. Every day we are blessed with new op- 
portunities for the development of strength ot 
soul 

George Hodges. 



72 



JKfftflt 12 



For their sakes I consecrate Myself, — John xvii. 
19 (R. V. margin). 

THE thought may help us in regard to all 
the temptations of our life, even the most 
hidden and solitary. It may help us to 
do battle with our despondency and sadness, with 
our restlessness and resentment, with the pervert- 
ing and corrupting misery of ambition. We 
must be watchful and uncompromising, if the 
self-consecration is to do its work. One sin 
alone indulged, condoned, domesticated, may 
spoil it all ; may cripple all our hope of helpful- 
ness ; may baffle the willingness of God to use 
us in His work for others. " For their sakes I 
consecrate myself." This, then, is our constant 
hope, that God will so cleanse and purify our 
hearts that they may not hinder the transmission 
to others of that light and truth which issue from 
His Presence. For that hope we would cast out 
all that defiles and darkens us ; we would freely 
give ourselves to Christ, that He may enter in 
and rule and animate us ; so that, through all our 
unworthiness, something of His brightness and 
peace may be made known to men. 

Francis Paget. 

Did I but live nearer to God, I could be of so 
much more help. 

George Hodges. 



fWarcft 13 



73 



God so loved the world, that He gave His only 
begotten Son that -whosoever believeth in Him should 
not perish, but have everlasting life. — John iii. 16. 

Let vour love be wide as His, 

With the whole world round His knees 5 

Gather into your warm heart 

All His creatures, — not a part ; 

So vour love shall be like His. 

Katharine Tynan Hinkson. 

GOD hath made all that is made, and God 
loveth all that He hath made; and he 
that loveth all his fellow-Christians, for 
God's sake, he loveth all that is. 

Mother Juliana. 

Your God is love; love Him and in Him all 
men, as His children in Christ. Your Lord is 
a fire; do not let vour heart be cold, but burn 
with faith and love. Your Lord is light ; do not 
walk in darkness. Your Lord is a God of 
mercy and bountifulness ; be also a source of 
mercy and bountifulness to your neighbors. 

Father John. 

" Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
and thy neighbor as thyself ; " and then go on 
thy way. The way in which God shall lead thee 
may be over rocks and deserts, over mountains 
and oceans, amid things perilous to the sight and 
the touch; but still go on thy way rejoicing. 

Thomas C. Up ham. 



74 



Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in 
Thee. — Ps. Ixx. 4. 

Lord ! along this earthly way 
Thou Thy pilgrim greetest 5 
To Thy thankful child each day 

Thou Thy love repeatest ; 
Thou dost bid me weep no more, 
Thou dost teach this song to soar, 
Thou dost all the sweetness pour 
When my life is sweetest. 

Thomas H. Gill. 

I AM thankful that I have learned, not only to 
see that I ought to say, but to feel what it is 
trulv to say, " good is the will of the Lord " 
in little things as well as in great things. Many 
who seek to be enabled, and are in measure en- 
abled, to say this in great things, have yet to 
learn what it is to say it in little things ; and, in 
consequence, they are often heard complaining of 
what in little matters God appoints for them, in 
a way that contradicts the faith that " all things 
work together for good to them that love God," 
and that, therefore, there is a good in all things, 
to be extracted from each thing as it comes, by 
receiving it in the light of love. Love to God, 
that love which receives God Himself as the 
portion of the soul in every cup, its sweetest 
ingredient, whatever other sweet ingredients may 
be in it, is as essential to the right understanding 
of w T hat God does in providence as the faith 
that He is love in what He does. 

John McLeod Campbell. 



itfarcft 15 



75 



Let all that ye do be done in love. — I Cor. xvi. 
14 (R. V.). 

If thou art blessed, 
Then let the sunshine of thy gladness rest 
On the dark edges of each cloud that lies 
Black in thy brother's skies. 

If thou art sad, 
Still be thou in thy brother's gladness glad. 

Anna E. Hamilton. 

WHAT can be more unkind than to com- 
municate our low spirits to others, to 
go about the world like demons, poison- 
ing the fountains of joy ? Have I more light 
because I have managed to involve those I love 
in the same gloom as myself? Is it not pleasant 
to see the sun shining on the mountains, even 
though we have none of it down in our valley ? 
Oh, the littleness and the meanness of that 
sickly appetite for sympathy, which will not let 
us keep our sorrows to ourselves ! Let us hide 
our pains and sorrows. But, while we hide them, 
let them also be spurs within us to urge us on to 
all manner of overflowing kindness and sunny 
humor to those around us. When the very dark- 
ness within us creates a sunshine around us, then 
has the spirit of Jesus taken possession of our 
souls. Frederick Wm. Faber. 



She now rarely lost the sacred opportunity of 
giving pleasure. Sarah W. Stephen. 



7 6 



iHarrlt 16 



Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love : 
therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. 
— Jer. xxxi. 3. 

My song is love unknown ; 

My Saviour's love to me 5 
Love to the loveless shown, 

That thev might lovelv be. 

Samuel Crossman. 

HE so governs and shapes all the circum- 
stances of life, that if we use them aright 
we may draw near to Him here, and pre- 
pare to be near Him in the Forever atter. He 
longs for our love, — our love, which is so feeble 
and faint, and vet so precious in His sight when 
we give it to Him freely. And why does He 
so desire it ? Ah ! I have told you many times 
before, and vet we cannot too often remember 
it, that it is because, if we love Him, He can 
make us supremely happy. All that belongs to 
us, or occurs to us, in this life, is so ordered 
that we mav find in it the means of putting far 
from us those obstructions of evil which prevent 
us from seeing Him as He is, and as He has re- 
vealed Himself to us ; for if we did but so see 
Him, how could we fail to love Him with the 
whole heart and soul ? Theophilus Parsons. 

How shall we become lovely ? Bv loving Him 
who is ever lovely. 

St. Augustine. 



iHarrfr 17 



77 



Who is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, 
and sanctification and redemption. — 1 Cor. i. 30. 

Christ with me, Christ before me, 
Christ behind me, Christ within me, 
Christ beneath me, Christ above me, 
Christ at my right hand, Christ at my left. 

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, 
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks to me, 
Christ in every eve that sees me, 
Christ in every ear that hears me. 

St. Patrick. 

CHRIST is in all His redeemed, as the soul 
of their soul, the life of their life. He 
is the pitying heart and the helping hand 
of God with every needy, praying spirit in the 
world. He is the sweet light of the knowledge 
of God that breaks in upon every penitent heart. 
He is not only with those who believe in Him 
and love Him, but also with those who neither 
believe in Him nor love Him, that He may 
be to them also Jesus their Saviour. The Christ 
of God is in thy heart, waiting and aiming to 
get the consent of thy will, that He may save 
thee. Wherever man is, there also is Christ, 
endeavoring to free him from the law of sin and 
death, by becoming- Himself the law of the spirit 
of his life. 

John Pulsford. 



78 



iHarrfr 18 



Ye that love the Lord, hate evil — Ps. xcvii. 10. 

THERE is a general stock of evil in the world 
to which we all contribute, or which, by 
God's grace, some mav diminish ; a vast 
and fertile tract of ungodliness, of low motives, 
of low aims, of low desires, of low sense of duty 
or no sense at all. It is the creation of ages, 
that tradition ; but each age does something for 
it, and each individual in each age does, if he 
does not advisedly refuse to do, his share in 
augmenting it, just as the chimney of every 
small house does something to thicken and 
darken the air of London. And this general 
fund or stock of evil touches us all like the com- 
mon atmosphere which we breathe. And thus it 
is that when you or I, even in lesser matters, do 
or say what our conscience condemns, we do 
really make a contribution to that general fund 
of wickedness which, in other circumstances 
and social conditions than ours, produces fla- 
grant crime. Especially if it should happen that 
we defend what we do, or make light of it, or 
make a ioke of the misdeeds of others, we do 
most actively and seriously augment this com- 
mon fund or tradition of wickedness. 

Henry Parry Liddox. 



iftitrrit 19 



79 



From thence, when the brethren heard of us, they 
came to meet us as far as Appii Forum, and The 
Three Taverns ; whom when Paul saw, he thanked 
God, and took courage. — Acts xxviii. 15. 

Through the night of doubt and sorrow 

Onward goes the pilgrim band, 
Singing songs of expectation, 

Marching to the promised land. 
Clear before us through the darkness 

Gleams and burns the guiding light ; 
Brother clasps the hand of brother, 

Stepping fearless through the night. 

Bernhard S. Ingemann. 

WE fight not for ourselves alone. These 
are they — our brethren — the cloud 
wherewith we walk encompassed ; it 
is for them that we wrestle through the long 
night ; they count on the strength that we 
might bring them, if we so wrestle that we pre- 
vail. The morning that follows the night of 
our lonelv trial would, if we be faithful,, find us 
new men, with a new name of help, and of 
promise, and of comfort, in the memory of 
which others would endure bravely, and fight 
as we had fought. Oh ! turn to God in fear, 
lest through hidden disloyalty we have not a 
cup of cold water to give those who turn to us 
for succor in their sore need ! 

Henry Scott Holland. 



8o 



iHartft 20 



The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus 
hath made me free from the law of sin and death, 
— Rom. viii. 2. 

Not yet thou knowest what I do 

Within thine own weak breast, 
To mould thee to My image true, 

And fit thee for My rest. 
But yield thee to My loving skill; 

The veiled work of grace, 
From day to day progressing still, 

It is not thine to trace. 

Frances R. Havergal. 

GOD will have the service which comes 
of a sound mind and a joyous heart ; and 
nothing more impedes and impairs sound- 
ness of mind and joyousness of heart than petty 
scruples. Edward M. Goulburn. 

Be content to go on quietly. When you 
discover somewhat in yourself which is earthly 
and imperfect, be patient while you strive to 
cast it out. Your perceptions will grow, — at 
first God will show you very obvious stumbling- 
blocks ; — be diligent in clearing these away, 
and do not aim at heights to which you are not 
yet equal. Leave all to God, and while you 
earnestly desire that He would purify your in- 
tention, and seek to work with Him to that end, 
be satisfied with the gradual progress He sets 
before you ; and remember that He often works 
in ways unseen by us. Jean Nicolas Grou. 



81 



Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of 
these, ye did it not to me. — Matt. xxv. 45. 

Abide ye here, and watch with me. — Matt. 
xxvi. 38 (R. V.). 

If to-day thou turrfst aside 
In thy luxury and pride, 
Wrapped within thyself, and blind 
To the sorrows of thy kind, 
Thou a faithless watch dost keep, 
Thou art one of those who sleep. 

Anna C. Lynch Botta. 

I HAVE been sorrowfully convinced that in 
what I thought necessary attention to home 
duties, my time and strength have been en- 
grossed to a degree that I fear has interfered 
with my duty to others. It is a serious consid- 
eration, how much good we miss of doing by 
our want of watchfulness for opportunities, and 
our engrossment even in our lawful and neces- 
sary cares ; and there is another way, too, in 
the influence we might continually exert over 
all who come in contact with us, and through 
them over others, to an extent of which we are 
probably not aware, if we continually kept in a 
meek and quiet spirit. Ah, it may be with 
some of us that it is more for what we leave un- 
done than for what we do, that we shall be called 
to an account. 

Elizabeth Taber King. 

6 



82 



Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the 
Lord your God, and His testimonies, and His statutes, 
which He hath commanded thee. And thou shalt do 
that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord, 
that it may be well with thee. — Deut. vi. 17,18. 

WE ought to become holy in the state 
in which Providence has placed us, 
instead of making projects of goodness 
in the future; and we need the greatest faith- 
fulness to God in the smallest things. That 
state of life to which God has called us is safe 
for us, if we fulfil all our duties therein. Accus- 
tom yourself to adore His holy will frequently, by 
humbly submitting your own to His orders and 
His Providence. Let us do what we know He 
requires of us, and, as soon as we know His 
will, let us not spare ourselyes, but be yery 
faithful to Him. Such faithfulness ought not 
merely to lead us to do great things for His 
service, but whateyer our hand finds to do, and 
which belongs to our state of lite. The small- 
est things become great when God requires 
them of us ; they are small only in themsehes ; 
they are always great when thev are done tor 
God, and when they serye to unite us with 
Him eternally. 

Francois de la Mothe Fexelon. 



iHarcit 23 



83 



He calleth His own sheep by name, and leadeth 
them out. When He hath put forth all His own, 
He goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him ; 
for they know His voice. — John x. 3, 4 (R. V.). 

HE only asks thee to yield thyself to Him, 
that "He may work in thee to will and 
to do by His own mighty power. Thy 
part is to yield 'thyself, His part is to work ; and 
never, never will He give thee any command 
which is not accompanied by ample power to 
obey it. Take no thought for the morrow 
in this matter; but abandon thyself with a gen- 
erous trust to thy loving Lord, who has prom- 
ised never to call His own sheep out into any 
path without Himself going before them to make 
the way easy and safe. Take each little step as 
He makes it plain to thee. Bring all thy life 
in each of its details to Him to regulate and 
guide. Follow gladly and quickly the sweet 
suggestions of His Spirit in thy soul. And day 
by day thou wilt find Him bringing thee more 
and more into conformity with His will in all 
things; moulding thee and fashioning thee, as 
thou art able to bear it, into a vessel unto His 
honor, sanctified and meet for His use, and 
fitted to every good work. 

Hannah Whitall Smith. 



8 4 



Being confident of this very thing that He which 
hath begun a good work in you will perform it until 
the day of Jesus Christ. — Phil. i. 6. 

Te are of God, little children, and have overcome 
them ; because greater is He that is in you, than he 
that is in the world. — i John iv. 4. 

WHY is it that we, in the very kingdom 
of grace, surrounded by angels, and 
preceded by saints, nevertheless, can 
do so little, and, instead of mounting with wings 
like eagles, grovel in the dust, and do but sin, 
and confess sin alternately ? Is it that the 
power of God is not within us ? Is it literally 
that we are not able to perform God's command- 
ments ? God forbid. We are able. We have 
that given us which makes us able. We do 
have a power within us to do what we are com- 
manded to do. What is it we lack ? The power ? 
No ; the will. What we lack is the simple, earn- 
est, sincere inclination and aim to use what God 
has given us, and what we have in us. 

John Henry Newman. 

God is on my side. He makes Himself re- 
sponsible for my being. If I will only entrust 
myself to Him with the cordial return of trustful 
love, then all that He has ever breathed into my 
heart of human possibility He will realize and 
bring to perfection. Charles Gore. 



iHarrft 25 85 



Behold the handmaid of the Lord ; be it unto me 
according to thy word, — Luke i. 38. 

Oh, let my thought, my actions, and my will 
Obedient solely to Thy impulse move, 

My heart and senses keep Thou blameless still, 
Fixed and absorbed in Thine unbounded love. 

Thy praying, teaching, striving, in my heart, 

Let me not quench, nor make Thee to depart. 

Gerhard Tersteegen. 

WE can see plainly how her ready self- 
surrender in faith, in trust, to her 
unknown, her mysterious destiny ; how 
her instant expression of entire self-oblation to 
the Divine Will, to all that she was called to be 
and to do, to bear all that might in the future 
be required of her, is a constant witness of the 
mind that ought to animate and pervade the 
whole action of the soul. Life, if true, should 
be always the offering up of what we are, to do 
our best for Him who has called us. The 
responsibilities, the ventures, the conscious ob- 
ligations which press on the soul, with all their 
conditions and unknown possibilities, supply the 
question that is to be solved ; but the true 
response is the result of a habit formed through 
countless, nameless acts of conscientious obedi- 
ence, which by use have become the bright and 
cheerful exercise of the one purpose of giving 
its best and purest to One most fully loved. 

T. T. Carter. 



86 



iHarrlt 26 



/ have given you an example, that ye should do as 
I have done to you. — John xiii. 15. 

THERE are often bound to us, in the 
closest intimacy of social or family ties, 
natures hard and ungenial, with whom 
svmpathv is impossible, and whose daily pres- 
ence necessitates a constant conflict with an 
adyerse influence. There are, too, enemies, — 
open or secret, — whose enmity we may feel yet 
cannot define. Our Lord, going before us in 
this hard way, showed us how we should walk. 
It will be appropriate to the solemn self-exami- 
nation of the period of Lent to ask ourselves, 
Is there any false friend or covert enemy whom 
we must learn to tolerate, to forbear with, to 
pity and forgive r Can we in silent offices of 
loye wash their feet as our Master washed the 
feet of Judas ? And, if we haye no real ene- 
mies, are there any bound to us in the relations 
of life whose habits and ways are annoying and 
distasteful to us ? Can we bear with them in 
love r Can we ayoid harsh judgments, and 
harsh speech, and the making known to others 
our annoyance ? The examination will proba- 
bly teach us to feel the infinite distance between 
us and our diyine Ideal, and change censorious- 
ness of others into prayer for ourselves. 

Harriet Beecher Stowe. 



ffl&vcfi 27 



87 



Not as I will, but as Thou wilt, — Matt. 
xxvi. 39. 

Thy will, not mine, O Lord, 

However dark it be ! 
Lead me by Thine own hand, 

Choose out the path for me. 

I dare not choose my lot; 

I would not, if I might ,• 
Choose Thou forme, my God; 

So shall I walk aright. 

HORATIUS BONAR. 

CHOOSE but the will of God, and thou 
wiliest with His wisdom, thou choosest 
with His all-perfect choice ; thou enterest 
into His counsels ; thou lovest with His love. 
Be this our watch-word, brethren, for the 
Church, for those we love, for our own souls. 
Be this our rule in action, " not what I will, 
but what Thou " ; this, in suffering ; " not what 
I, but what Thou." This shall hallow our 
hopes ; this shall hush our fears ; this shall 
ward off disquiet ; this shall preserve our peace ; 
this shall calm anxieties ; this (if so it must be) 
shall soothe our heart-aches ; this shall give 
repose to our weariness ; this, the deeper our 
trouble, shall be the deeper foretaste of ever- 
lasting peace and rest. " Lord, not what I 
will, but what Thou " ; not what I, in my 
misery, and ignorance, and blindness, and sin, 
but what Thou, in Thy mercy, and holiness, 
and wisdom, and love. E. B. Pusey. 



88 



iHarcft 28 



Hereby know we love, because He laid down His 
life for us. — I John iii. 16 (R. V.). 

Love which outlives 
All sin and wrong, Compassion which forgives 
To the uttermost, and Justice whose clear eyes 
Through lapse and failure look to the intent, 
And judge our frailty by the life we meant. 

John G. Whittier. 

IN return for the love which brought the Son 
of Man down from heaven, in return for the 
love which led Him to die for us on the 
cross, we cannot give Him holy lives, for we are 
not holy ; we cannot give Him pure souls, 
for our souls are not pure ; but this one thing 
we can give, and this is what He asks, hearts 
that shall never cease from this day forward, till 
we reach the grave, to strive to be more like 
Him ; to come nearer to Him ; to root out 
from within us the sin that keeps us from Him. 
To such a battle I call you in His name. And 
even if at the last day you shall not be able to 
show any other service, yet be sure that when 
thousands of His saints go forth to meet Him, 
and to show His triumph, He will turn to 
embrace with arms of tenderness the poor pen- 
itent who has nothing to offer but a life spent 
in one never-ceasing struggle with himself, an 
unwearied battle with the faults that had taken 
possession of his soul. 

Frederick Temple. 



iHardt 29 89 



Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to 
the which also ye were called in one body ; and be 
ye thankful — Col. iii. 15 (R. V.). 

May faith, deep rooted in the soul, 
Subdue our flesh, our minds control; 
May guile depart, and discord cease, 
And all within be joy and peace. 

St. Ambrose. 

THE repose, the quiet balanced rest which 
marks our Lord's perfected life, is in- 
tended to grow more and more steadfast 
in those who are truly His ; not the repose of 
indolence, not the calm arising from absence of 
trial and lack of temptation, a mere accidental 
freedom from inward struggle or difficulty, but 
the repose which lives in the conquest of pas- 
sion, in the crucifixion of self, in a subdued 
will, in the reconciliation of every thought with 
a perfected obedience, as the whole inner being, 
entranced in God, yields itself in delighted har- 
mony with His perfect mind. Such repose is 
attained through the continual progress of a life 
of grace, as it gradually overcomes the restless- 
ness of nature, the excitements of self, the dis- 
turbance of temper or passion, the fruitless 
impatience of the will. T. T. Carter. 

Peace, when " ruling" the heart and "ruling " 
the mind, opens in both every avenue of joy. 

Sarah W. Stephen. 



9° 



iHarcft 30 



He died for all, that they which live should no 
longer live unto themselves, but unto Him who for 
their sakes died and rose again. — 2 Cor. v. 15 
(R. V.). 

/ will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, 
and your joy no man taketh from you. — John xvi. 22. 

Then let thy life through all its ways 

One long thanksgiving be, 
Its theme of joy, its song of praise, 

" Christ died, and rose for me.' 1 

J. B. S. MONSELL. 

IF you come to seek His face, not in the 
empty sepulchre, but in the living power of 
His presence, as indeed realizing that He 
has finished His glorious work, and is alive for- 
evermore, then your hearts will be full of true 
Easter joy, and that joy will shed itself abroad 
in you/homes. And let your joy not end with 
the hymns and the prayers and the commun- 
ions in His house. Take with you the joy of 
Easter to the home, and make that home bright 
with more unselfish love, more hearty service ; 
take it into vour work, and do all in the name 
of the Lord ' Jesus; take it to your heart, and 
let that heart rise anew on Easter wings to a 
hieher, a gladder, a fuller life ; take it to the 
dear grave-side and say there the two words 
" Jesus lives ! " and find in them the secret of 
calm expectation, the hope of eternal reunion. 

John Ellerton. 



iHarrit 31 9 1 



Behold what manner of love the Father hath be- 
stowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of 
God, — 1 John iii. i. 

Dost think thy prayers He doth not heed ? 
He knows full well what thou dost need, 

And heaven and earth are His ; 
My Father and my God, who still 
Is with my- soul in every ill. 

Hans Sachs. 

BEHOLD and see thy Lord thy God that 
is thy Maker, and thy endless joy. See 
thine own Brother, thy Saviour, my child ; 
behold and see what liking and bliss I have in 
thy salvation ; and for my love, rejoice with 
me. How should it now be, that thou shouldst 
anything pray me that pleased me, but that I 
should full gladly grant it thee ; for my pleasure 
is thy holiness, and thy endless joy and bliss 
with me. Mother Juliana. 

Did not Jesus say, " I am the door of the 
sheepfold " ? What to us is the sheepfold, dear 
children ? It is the heart of the Father, where- 
unto Christ is the Gate that is called Beautiful. 
O children, how sweetly and how gladly has 
He opened that door into the Father's heart, 
into the treasure-chamber of God ! And there 
within He unfolds to us the hidden riches, the 
nearness and the sweetness of companionship 
with Himself. John Tauler. 



9 2 



Stprtl i 



A vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the 
Master s use, and prepared unto every good work. 
— 2 Tim. ii. 21. 

I AM an instrument for His use ; perhaps to 
bear burdens, as of pain, sorrow, or shame ; 
perhaps to convey messages, writing, speak- 
ing, conversing ; perhaps simply to reflect light, 
showing His mind in the commonest of all daily 
rounds. In only one way can I truly do any- 
thing of these ; in the way of inner harmony 
with Him, and peace and joy in Him. 

Handley C. G. Moule. 

Mould us, great God, into forms of beauty 
and usefulness by the wheel of Providence and 
by the touch of Thy hand. Fulfil Thine ideal, 
and conform us to the image of Thy Son. In 
Thy great house may we stand as vessels meet 
for Thy use. We are little better than common 
earthenware, but may we be cleansed, and puri- 
fied, and filled with Thy heavenly treasure. 
Dip us deep into the River of Life, and give 
refreshment by us to many parched and weary 
hearts. F. B. Meyer. 

The soul which gives itself wholly and with- 
out reserve to God, is filled with His own peace; 
and the closer we draw to our God so much the 
stronger and more steadfast and tranquil shall we 
become. Jean Nicolas Grou. 



&prtl 2 



93 



He that is faithful in that which is least is faith- 
ful also in much ; and he that is unjust in the least 
is unjust also in much, - — Luke xvi. 10. 

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father 
which is in heaven is perfect. — Matt. v. 48, 

PERFECTION in outward conduct consists 
not in extraordinary things; but in doing 
common things extraordinarily well. Ne- 
glect nothing ; the most trivial action may be 
performed to ourselves, or performed to God. 
If love be in your heart, your whole life may be 
one continual exercise of it. Oh, if we did but 
love others ! How easily the least thing, the 
shutting of a door gently, the walking softly, 
speaking low, not making a noise, or the choice 
of a seat, so as to leave the most convenient to 
others, might become occasions of its exercise. 

Mere Angelique Arnauld. 

He is wont to carry on His hidden dealings 
with the soul bv means of what we should 
call very little things. He requires an abso- 
lute puritv of heart in those with whom He 
vouchsafes to dwell, and a spirit of self-sacrifice 
which is ever ready to offer all things, however 
seemingly small, to Him. 

Abbe Guillore. 



94 



aprtl 3 



Thou owest to me even thine own self. — Phi- 
lemon, 19. 

ACCORDING to Christ's teaching, the 
priest and Levite did not pay their debt 
to their Samaritan neighbor, because they 
thought him a stranger with no claim on them. 
Dives ignored his rich man's debt to Lazarus. 
We can all think of manifold debts — to the 
lonely whom we might visit, the misunderstood 
whom we might sympathize with, the ignorant 
whom we might teach. Is it not bewildering 
even to attempt to realize our debts ? And 
vet, let a man make a beginning, and all will be 
well. Let him steadilv set himself to behave 
towards those whom he employs, or those who 
emplov him, towards railway porters and shop 
assistants and others who minister to his con- 
venience, as being men and women with the 
same right to courteous treatment, and to a real 
.opportunity to make the best of themselves, as 
he has himself ; let him thus realize his debts 
to his nearest " neighbors," and the whole idea 
of humanity, of brotherhood, will be deepened 
and made real to him. He will get a habit 
of considerateness and thoughtfulness for others, 
as belonging to Christ, which will express itself 
habitually towards all, and especially the weak. 

Charles Gore. 



3prtl 4 



95 



Z*/ #// those that put their trust in Thee rejoice ; 
let them also that love Thy name be joyful in Thee. 
— Ps. v. II. 

That they might have My joy fulfilled in them- 
selves. — John xvii. 13. 

GOD desires us to live as close as we can 
to the life that Jesus Christ lived. That 
is the broad avenue to perfect happiness. 
Most of us know by experience that in propor- 
tion as we have followed Him, we have found 
happiness. And we know by still larger expe- 
rience that as we turn away from Him the 
world gets dark, and life ceases to be worth 
living. 

George Hodges. 

Each soul has its own faculty ; it can help in 
some way to make the world more cheerful and 
more beautiful. This it is which makes life 
worth living. If we are living only for our- 
selves, our own amusement, luxury, advance- 
ment, life is not worth living. But if we are 
living as co-workers with Christ, as fellow- 
helpers with God, as part of the noble army of 
martyrs who bear witness to the truth in all 
time, then our lives are full of interest. This 
gives sweetness and strength to all our days. 

James Freeman Clarke. 



9 6 



Qpvil 5 



It is good for me to draw near to God. — 
Ps. lxxiii. 28. 

— And the sea of care grows still 
In the shining of Thy smile ; 

And Thy love's all-quickening ray 

Chases night and pain away, 
That my heart grows light the while. 

Wolfgang Christoph Dessler. 

IF we believe that God is always at hand, 
always ready to hear, surely we should take 
delight in telling Him all our little cares, 
and woes, and hopes, as they flit by. 

H. L. Sidney Lear. 

If you have not much time at your disposal, 
do not fail to profit by the smallest portions of 
time which remain to you. We do not need 
much time in order to love God, to renew our- 
selves in His Presence, 10 lift up our hearts to- 
wards Him, to worship Him in the depths of 
our hearts, to offer Him what we do and what 
we suffer. Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 

There is always time to look up to Him for 
-His smile. F. B. Meyer. 

These frequent looks of the heart exceedingly 
sweeten and sanctify our other employments, 
and diffuse somewhat of heaven through all our 
actions. Robert Leighton. 



97 



We know not what we should pray for as we 
ought. — Rom. viii. 26. 

O Lord, hear ; O Lord, forgive ; O Lord, hearken 
and do. — Dan. ix. 19. 

Grant us not the ill 
We blindly ask 5 in very love refuse 
Whate'er Thou know'st our weakness would abuse. 

John Keble. 

WE know not precisely what is best for us. 
We know not what will make us truly 
happy. We know not what will help 
us best in our struggle against temptations. And 
\f we were to try to make a distinction between 
our mere passing wishes and that which our souls 
really needed, we should utterly fail. But we 
need not try. Let us take all our wishes, all our 
longings, all the promptings of our consciences, to 
the feet of our Father. He will hear and He will 
do. He will hear all we say. He will know what 
parts of our prayer are best for us to have, and 
what are not. And He will give us what His 
fatherly love will choose. And therefore to all 
our prayers we will add, " Thy will be done in 
earth, as it is in heaven." 

Frederick Temple. 



7 



9 8 



When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, 
then Thou knewest my path. — Ps. cxlii. 3. 

The work which we count so hard to do, 
He makes it easy, for He works too ; 
The days that are long to live are His, — 
A bit of His bright eternities ; 
And close to our need His helping is. 

Susan Coolidge. 

DO not yield to the temptation of looking at 
everything at once, as if everything would 
happen at once, and all the events of the 
day be crowded into an hour. Do not thus fore- 
cast, but take each thing as it comes to you, and 
look upon it as the present expression of the will 
of God concerning you ; then regard the next in 
the same way, and thus receive your day piece by 
piece from Him who will remember always when 
He gives you work to do, that you need strength 
to do it. 

Often, when you have almost fainted in spirit, 
the thought comes, " If thou hast run with the 
footmen, and they have wearied thee, what shalt 
thou do with the horsemen ? " Put it from you, 
it is a faithless thought ; if you need more 
strength, you will have it, be sure of that ; or the 
call to greater exertion may never come to you. 
Your business is with the present ; leave the 
future in His hands who will be sure to do the 
best, the very best for you. 

Priscilla Maurice. 



Sprit 8 



99 



He is the Rock, His work is perfect ; for all 
His ways are judgment ; a God of truth, and without 
iniquity, just and right is He.— Deut. xxxii. 4. 

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. 
-Ps. c. 3. 

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Tea, 
though I walk through the valley of the shadow 
of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with 
me 1 Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. — 
Ps xxiii. i, 4. 

DUTIES are ours, events are the Lord's; 
when our faith goeth to meddle with 
events, and to hold a court (if I mav so 
speak) upon God's Providence, and beginneth to 
say, " How wilt Thou do this or that ? " we 
lose ground ; we have nothing to do there ; it is 
our part to let the Almighty exercise His own 
office, and steer His own helm ; there is nothing 
left us, but to see how we mav be approved of 
Him, and how we mav roll the weight of our 
weak souls, in well-doing, upon Him who is God 
omnipotent, and when- what we thus essay mis- 
carrieth, it shall neither be our sin nor cross. 

Samuel Rutherford. 

Shall there be a mutiny among the flocks and 
herds, because their lord or their shepherd chooses 
their pastures, and suffers them not to wander 
into deserts and unknown ways ? 

Jeremy Taylor. 

LofC. 



IOO 



&prtl 9 



And ye know that He was manifested to take 
away our sins ; and in Him is no sin, — I John 
iii. 5. 

They that sin are enemies to their own life, — 
Tobit xii. 10. 

TO choose sin is to reject Christ ; to be 
ashamed, for fear of man, to do what 
Christ commands, is to deny Christ ; to 
do, for fear of man, what Christ forbids, what is 
it but, with Pilate, to condemn Christ ? for a 
Christian to be guilty of wilful deadly sin, what 
is it, but to crucify Christ afresh, and put Him 
to an open shame ? Do what ye know to be 
pleasing to God, and avoid, by the grace of God, 
what ye know will displease Him, and God will 
enliven your penitence, and enlarge your faith, 
and brighten your hopes, and kindle your love. 
Only be very diligent, not knowingly to do any- 
thing which displeases God; be very diligent not 
to tamper with your conscience and do what you 
suspect may displease God. 

Edward B. Pusey. 

We can never cling to a besetting sin with one 
hand, and grasp Jesus Christ with the other. 
Until thou art content to reckon thyself dead 
indeed to every known form of sin, whether thou 
thinkest it small or great, thou never canst follow 
Tesus. Wm. Hay M. H. Aitken. 



IOI 



Choose you this day ivhom ye will serve. — Josh. 
xxiv. 1 5. 

BARABBAS and Jesus cannot both live 
within us. One must die, Yes, every 
emotion of selfishness or worldliness in 
every soul plavs the part of Barabbas. Good 
influences mav have prevailed for a time, and 
thev, or perhaps motives of worldly regard, may 
have put Barabbas in prison, and under some 
restraint ; but the decisive, the fatal question, 
remains, Shall he die ? Yes, he or Jesus. Nor 
is it only on great occasions and in fearful crises 
that this question comes to us. Every hour, 
every moment, when we resist what we must 
know to be the influence of our Lord, and, cast- 
ing that aside, give the victory, under whatever 
pretence or name, to that which is indeed our 
own Barabbas, we then do all that we are able to 
do to crucify our Lord afresh. Every emotion 
which tempts us to refuse obedience to Him, 
" to make insurrection," to suppress and over- 
come whatever sense of right conscience gives 
— is not that the robber, rebel, murderer, Bar- 
abbas ? We may have, indeed, imprisoned him, 
we may have resolved that he should die — shall 
we now release him from restraint, and let him 
go free ? If we do, we know now what must 
happen — we know between what alternatives we 
choose. Theophilus Parsons. 



102 



gjmi ii 



In Thy name shall they rejoice all the day. — 
Ps. lxxxix. 1 6. 

Now first to souls who thus awake 

Seems earth a fatherland : 
A new and endless life they take 

With rapture from His hand. 
The fears of death and of the grave 

Are whelmed beneath the sea, 
And every heart, now light and brave, 

May face the things to be. 

Friedrich von Hardenberg. 

HAPPINESS, let us understand this well, 
is as truly our portion here as above j it 
cannot fail to fall within the lot of those 
who have chosen for their portion Him whose 
nature is one with infinite, unalienable Joy. 
God, in communicating Himself to the soul, of 
necessity communicates happiness; and all souls 
in union with Him have returned to their central 
rest, and are happv, in exact proportion to the 
closeness and fulness of their union, — happv, in 
other words, by so much as they have within 
them of God. 

Dora Greenwell. 

Happiness, Heaven itself, is nothing; else but 
a perfect conformity, a cheerful and eternal com- 
pliance of all the powers of the soul with the 
Will of God. 

Samuel Shaw, 1669. 



Fear not ; I am the first and the last, and the 
Living One ; and I was dead, and behold, I am 
alive for evermore, and I have the keys of death and 
f Hades. — Rev. i. 18 (R. V.> 

Let ail things seen and unseen, 
Their notes of gladness blend, 

For Christ the Lord is risen, 
Our Joy that hath no end-. 

St. John of Damascus, a. d. 760. 

"fT^HE time of the singing of birds is 
I come," — the time when nature calls 
aloud to us and bids us awaken out ot 
the deadness of personal grief, and rejoice in the 
new manifestation of His beauty that God is 
making to the world. " Behold, / am alive for 
evermore, and the dead live to Me" Vs as not 
this the secret saving which the new verdure 
was writing all over the hills, and which the 
young pattering leaves and singing-birds were 
repeating; in music ? It must be well to have 
ears to hear and a heart that could respond with 
a little flutter of returning joy and thankfulness. 

Annie Keary. 

The return of Easter should be to the Chris- 
tian life the call of a trumpet. It is the news 
of a great victory. It is the solution of a great 
perplexity. It is the assurance of a great 
triumph. Frederick Temple. 



104 



3#Vtl 13 



Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, 
he is none of His. — Romans viii. g a 

What profits it that He is risen, 
If dead in sins thou yet dost lie r 

It yet thou clearest to thy prison, 

What profit that He dwells on high ? 

His triumph will avail thee nought, 

If thou hast ne'er the battle fought. 

Lyra Germanica. 

MANY, who often hear the gospel of 
Christ, are vet but little affected, because 
they are void of the Spirit of Christ. 
But whosoever would fully and feelingly under- 
stand the words of Christ, must endeavor to 
make all his life like in its beauty unto His. 

What will it avail thee to dispute profoundly 
of the Trinity, if thou be void of humility, and 
art thereby displeasing to the Trinity r 

Surely, high words do not make a man holy 
and just ; but a virtuous life maketh him dear to 
God. 

I had rather feel compunction, than under- 
stand the definition thereof. 

If thou didst know the whole Bible bv heart, 
and the sayings of all the philosophers, what 
would all that profit thee without the love of 
God and without grace ? 

Thomas a Kempis. 



105 



Whether therefore ye eat^ or drink^ or whatso- 
ever ye do, do all to the glory of God. — I Cor. x. 3 1 . 

Thy glory alone, O God, be the end of all that I say ; 
Let it shine in every deed, let it kindle the prayers that 
I pray 5 

Let it burn in my innermost soul, till the shadow of selt 
pass away, 

And the light of Thy glory, O God, be unveiled in the 
dawning of day. 

Frederick George Scott. 

IT excepts nothing;, " do all " \ it instances 
only the very least things, what our Lord 
includes under " daily bread," that so we 
may stop at nothing short of all, but our whole 
beings doing, thinking, willing, longing, having, 
loving, may be wrapt up, gathered, concentrated, 
in the One Will and Good Pleasure of our God. 
Does any again ask, How can such little things 
be done to the glory of God ? Do them as 
thou wouldest do them if thou sawest Christ by 
thee. E. B. Pusey. 

The time of labor does not with me differ 
from the time of prayer ; and, in the noise and 
confusion of the kitchen where I am at work, 
while several persons are at the same time call- 
ing; for different things, I possess God in as 
great tranquillity as if I were upon my knees at 
the Blessed Sacrament. Brother Lawrence. 



io6 



3jjrtl 15 



And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw 
all men unto Me. — John xii. 32. 

We know that, when He shall appear, we shall 
be like Him; for ice shall see Him as He is. — 
1 John iii. 2. 

For if Christ be born within, 
Soon that likeness shall appear 

Which the soul had lost through sin, 
God's own image fair and clear, 

And the soul serene and bright 

Mirror back His heavenly light. 

Laurentius Laurenti. 1700. 

LORD, never was a magnet so powerful to 
draw to itself the hard steel, as Thou, the 
Lord, lifted up on the cross, art powerful 
to draw unto Thee the hearts of men. O be- 
loved Lord, draw me through joy and sorrow, 
from all that is in the world to Thee and to 
Thv cross; form me, and shape me into Thine 
imase here below, that I may enjoy Thee eter- 
nallv in the glory whither Thou ait gone. 

Henry Suso. 

Think who Christ is, and what Christ is, — 
and then think what His personal influence 
must be — quite infinite, boundless, miraculous. 
So that the very blessedness of heaven will not 
be merely the sight of our Lord ; it will be the 
being made holv, and kept holy, by that sight. 

Charles Kingsley. 



&$Vtl 16 107 



They are of those that rebel against the light ; 
they know not the ways thereof nor abide in the 
paths thereof. — Job xxiv. 13. 

Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy 
power. — Ps. ex. 3. 

See, in Thy hands I lay them all — 
My will that fails, my feet that fall; 
My heart that wearies everywhere, 
Yet finds Thy yoke too hard to bear. 

Katharine T. Hinkson. 

THE way may at times seem dark, but 
light will arise, if thou trust in the 
Lord, and wait patiently for Him. That 
light may sometimes show hard things to be 
required, but do not be distressed if thy heart 
should rebel ; bring thy unwillingness and dis- 
obedience to Him, in the faith that He will give 
thee power to overcome, for He cannot fail. 
" Greater is He that is in you, than he that is 
in the world," so keep close to Him, and the 
victory will be won. But do not, I beseech 
thee, neglect anything that is required, for 
disobedience brings darkness; and do not 
reason or delay, but simply follow the leadings 
of the Holy Spirit, and He will guide thee into 
all peace. 

Elizabeth T. King. 



io8 



®$vti 17 



Thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord 
thy God, to walk in His ways. — Deut. viii. 6, 

And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were 
cleansed. — Luke xvii. 14. 

GOD calls us to duty, and the only right 
answer is obedience. If it can be glad and 
willing and loving obedience, happy are 
we ; but, in any case, whether we ourselves get 
enjoyment and blessing from the task or not, 
the call must be obeyed. The will of God 
must be done for the sake of God, not for the 
sake of ourselves. Undertake the duty, and 
step by step God will provide the disposition. 
We can at least obey. Ideal obedience includes 
the whole will and the whole heart. We can- 
not begin with that. But we can begin with 
what we have. God calls. It is better to obey 
blunderingly than not to obey at all. 

George Hodges. 

The test of love is not feeling, but obedience. 

William Bernard Ullathorxe. 

If one fights for good behavior, God makes 
one a present of the good feelings. 

Juliana H. Ewing. 



aprtl 18 



109 



Why art thou cast dozen, O my soul? and why 
art thou disquieted within me ? hope in God ; for I 
shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my 
countenance^ and my God. — Ps. xliii. 5. 

In prayer we own Thee, Father, at our side, 
Not always feel or taste Thee ; and, 't is well, 

So, hour by hour, courageous faith is tried, 
So, gladlier will the morn all mists dispel. 

John Keble. 

SOMETIMES we are disturbed because we 
have no devout feelings ; but what we 
want is a devout will. We cannot always 
control the imagination, but we can always do 
that which is our dutv carefully and patiently, 
with a view to pleasing God, and proving our 
love to Him. We may feel cold and mechanical, 
but we cannot fulfil our appointed duty without 
an exercise of the will, and therefore all duties 
diligently performed testify a desire to love, and 
prove our love. 

H. L. Sidney Lear. 

We must not allow ourselves to be cast down, 
nor to despair, because our hearts seem colder at 
one time than another. The test of the cold 
heart is the yielding to sin, and, if we are cling- 
ing to Him, and to His will, we may be quite 
sure that what we take for coldness of heart is 
a trial, not a treason. Frederick Temple. 



I IO 



To do good and to communicate forget not : for 
with such sacrifices God is well pleased. — Heb. 
xiii. 16. 

Freely ye have received, freely give. — Matt. 
x. 8. 

Surely Thou hast some work for me to do ! 

Oh, open Thou mine eyes, 
To see how Thou wouldst choose to have it done, 

And where it lies ! Elizabeth Prentiss. 

THEN saw I that each kind compassion 
that man hath on his fellow-Christians 
with charity, it is Christ in him. 

Mother Juliana. 

Say not you cannot gladden, elevate, and set 
free ; that you have nothing of the grace of in- 
fluence ; that all you have to give is at the most 
only common bread and water. Give vourself 
to your Lord for the service of men with what 
you have. Cannot He change water into wine ? 
Cannot He make stammering words to be instinct 
with saving power ? Cannot He change trem- 
bling efforts to help into deeds of strength ? Can- 
not He still, as of old, enable vou in all your 
personal poverty " to make many rich ? " God 
has need of thee for the service of thy fellow- 
men. He has a work for thee to do. To find 
out what it is, and then to do it, is at once 
thy supremest duty and thy highest wisdom. 
" Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it." 

George Body. 



&£vil 20 



1 1 1 



The Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all 
times in all ways. — 2 Thess. iii. 16 (R. V.). 

Thou shalt hide the?n in the secret of Thy 
presence. — Ps. xxxi. 20. 

Let my life be hid in Thee, 
Life of life and Light of light ! 

Love's illimitable sea, 

Depth of peace, of power the height ! 

Let my life be hid in Thee 

From vexation and annoy ; 
Calm in Thy tranquillity, 

All my mourning turned to joy. 

John Bull. 

IT is small things that, just because of their 
smallness, distress and overset us. I mean 
the weight of daily care, which in their small 
details of personal expenditure, and in the careful 
routine of a household, and in the rearing of 
children, and in the society of friends, and in the 
outside duty, and in private affairs, singly and 
separately is sufficiently burdensome ; but alto- 
gether, and on one set of shoulders, is sometimes 
felt to be more than the strength can bear. 
Those anxious lives, tempted to be fretful, and 
hasty, and self-important, and fussed with their 
incessant activities, may, if rightly interpreted, 
and manfully grasped, settle down into round and 
sunny centres- of regular, and peaceful, and fruit- 
ful activities. Where there is prayer, there is 
peace ; and God, who makes every duty possible, 
knows, helps, and cares. Anthony W. Thorold. 



112 



^Tprtl 21 



The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty ; 
He will save^ He will rejoice over thee with joy ; 
He will rest in His love ; He will joy over thee 
with singing . — Zeph. iii. 17. 

Made for Thyself, O God ! 
Made for Thy love, Thy service, Thy delight 5 
Made to show forth Thy wisdom, grace and might ; 
Made for Thy praise, whom veiled archangels laud 5 
O strange and glorious thought, that we may be 

A joy to Thee. 

F. R. Havergal. 

IT is not of God's severity that He requires 
much from man ; it is of His great kindness 
that He will have the soul to open herself 
wider, to be able to receive much, that He may 
bestow much upon her. Let no one think that 
it is hard to attain thereunto. Although it sound 
hard, and is hard at first, as touching the forsak- 
ing and dying to all things, yet, when one has 
reached this state, no life can be easier, or sweeter, 
or fuller of pleasures ; for God is right diligent 
to be with us at all seasons, and to teach us, that 
He may bring us to Himself, when we are like 
to go astray. None of us ever desired anything 
more ardently than God desires to bring men to 
the knowledge of Himself. 

J. Tauler. 

God always fills in all hearts all the room 
which is left Him there. 

F. W. Faber. 



&jprtl 22 113 



Behold, I stand at the door, and knock : if any 
man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come 
in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. 
— Rev. iii. 20. 

O Love Divine ! — whose constant beam 
Shines on the eyes that will not see, 

And waits to bless us, while we dream 

Thou leavest us because we turn from Thee. 

J. G. Whittier. 

UNHAPPY spirit, cast down under thy 
sins, multitudes of sins, years of sins ! — 
heavily burdened as thou art, and pierced 
through with sorrows, thou may est look to God, and 
hope, for " He delighteth in mercy." His mercy 
can make thee a clean and beautiful, a happy and 
rejoicing spirit. God will be "delighted" to 
make thee u equal to the angels." So humble, 
so loving is thy God, and so earnestly does He 
long to bless thee, that behold, He stands at thy 
door and knocks. 

John Pulsford. 

And if God knocks continually at the heart 
of man, desiring to enter in and sup there, and 
to communicate to him His gifts, who can believe 
that when the heart opens and invites Him to 
enter, He will become deaf to the invitation, 
and refuse to come in ? 

Lorenzo Scupoli. 

8 



1 1 4 



Sprtl 23 



And as thy servant was busy here and there, he 
was gone. — 1 Kings xx. 40. 

Blessed is he that consider eth the weak ; Jehovah 
will deliver him in the day of evil. — Ps. xli. I 

(R. V. .MARGIN). 

Encourage the faint-hearted, support the iveak, 
be long-suffering toward all. — 1 Thess. v. 14 
(R. V.). ~ 

IT is decreed in the providence of God that, 
although the opportunities for doing good, 
which are in the power of every man, are 
bevond count or knowledge; vet, the oppor- 
tunity once neglected, no man by any self- 
sacrifice can atone for those who have fallen 
or suffered by his negligence. 

Juliana H. Ewing. 

Do not make life hard to any. 

R. W. Emerson. 

Forgive us if this day we have done or said 
anything to increase the pain of the world. 
Pardon the unkind word, the impatient gesture, 
the hard and selfish deed, the failure to show sym- 
pathy and kindlv help where we had the oppor- 
tunity, but missed it ; and enable us so to live 
that we mav dailv do something to lessen the 
tide of human sorrow, and add to the sum of 
human happiness. 

F. B. Meyer, 



115 



Lord my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou 
hast healed me. — Ps. xxx. 2. 

IT is sometimes a small matter that hindereth 
and hideth grace from us ; at least if any- 
thing can be called small, and not rather a 
weighty matter, which obstructeth so great a 
good. 

And, if thou remove this, be it great or small, 
and perfectly overcome it, thou wilt have thy 
desire. 

For immediately, as soon as thou givest thy- 
self to God from thy whole heart, and seekest 
neither this nor that, according to thine own 
pleasure or will, but settlest thyself wholly in 
Him, thou shalt find thyself united and at peace ; 
for nothing can afford so sweet a relish, nothing 
be so delightful, as the good pleasure* of the 
Divine Will. 

Thomas a Kempis. 

If at any time this life of ours grows feeble, 
or low, or lonely, I know no other remedy 
than to return to its Eternal Source, to God 
Himself ; and through Him all the means of 
grace become again living and true ; and through 
Him all His creatures become again near and 
dear and accessible. 

Elizabeth Ruxdle Charles. 



n6 



Stjuul 25 



Truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the 
Lord. — Micah iii. 8. 

Tou, who are kept by the power of God through 
faith unto salvation. — 1 Peter i. 4, 5. 

THOU must not look so much at the evil 
that is nigh, but rather at that which 
stands ready to pity and help, — and 
which hath pitied and helped thy distressed soul, 
and will pity and help it again'. Why is there 
a mercy-seat, but for the sinner to look towards 
in time of need ? Be patient till the Lord's 
tender mercy and love visit thee again ; and 
then, look up to Him against this ancTsuch like 
snares, which would come between thee and the 
appearance of the Lord's love ; that thou mav- 
est feel more of His abidings with thee, and of 
the sweet effects thereof. For, these things are 
not to destroy thee, but to teach thee wisdom ; 
which the Lord is able, through many exercises 
and sore trials, to bestow upon thee ; that thy 
heart may be rid of all that burdeneth, and filled 
with all it rightly desires after, in the proper 
season and goodness of the Lord ; to whose wise 
ordering and tender mercv I commit thee. 

Isaac Pexington 



&j>rtl 26 



117 



0/6, that I had wings like a dove ! for then 
would I fly away, and be at rest. — Ps. lv. 6. 

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew then- 
strength ; they shall mount up with -wings as eagles. 

ISA. xl. 31. 

IS there no way of escape for us when in 
trouble or distress ? Must we just plod 
wearilv through it all, and look for no relief? 
I rejoice to answer that there is a glorious way 
of escape for everv one of us, if we will but 
mount up on wings, and fly awav from it all to 
God. All creatures that have wings can escape 
from everv snare that is set for them, if only 
thev will fly high enough ; and the soul that 
uses its wings can always find a sure " way to 
escape " from all that can hurt or trouble it. 
What then are these wings ? Their secret is 
contained in the words " They that wait upon 
the Lord." The soul that waits upon the Lord 
is the soul that is entirely surrendered to Him, 
and that trusts Him perfectly. Therefore we 
might name our wings the wings of Surrender 
and of Trust. If we will only surrender 
ourselves utterly to the Lord, and will trust 
Him perfectly, we shall find our souls " mount- 
ing up with wings as eagles " to the " heavenly 
places " in Christ Jesus, where earthly annoy- 
ances or sorrows have no power to disturb us. 

Hannah Whitall Smith. 



n8 



£$>ril 27 



The words of a wise man s mouth are gracious. — 

ECCL. X. 12. 

Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop ; 
but a good word rnaketh -it glad. — Prov. xii. 25. 

IT would seem as if very few of us give this 
power of kind words the consideration which 
is due to it. So great a power, such a facil- 
ity in the exercise of it, such a frequency of 
opportunities for the application of it, and yet 
the world still what it is, and we still what we 
are ! It seems incredible. Take life all through, 
its adversity as well as its prosperity, its sickness 
as well as its health, its loss of its rights as well 
as its enjoyment of them, and we shall find that 
no natural sweetness of temper, much less any 
acquired philosophical equanimity, is equal to 
the support of a uniform habit of kindness. 
Nevertheless, with the help of grace, the habit 
of saying kind words is very quickly formed, 
and when once formed, it is not speedily lost. 
Sharpness, bitterness, sarcasm, acute observation, 
divination of motives, — all these things disap- 
pear when a man is earnestly conforming himself 
to the image of Christ Jesus. The very attempt 
to be like our dearest Lord is already a well- 
spring of sweetness within us, flowing with an 
easy grace over all who come within our reach. 

Frederick Wm. Faber. 



aprtl 28 



119 



Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. 
— Mark x. 49. 

— As we meet and touch, each day, 
The many travellers on our way, 
Let every such brief contact be 
A glorious, helpful ministry ; 
The contact of the soil and seed, 
Each giving to the other's need, 
Each helping on the other's best, 
And blessing, each, as well as blest. 

Susan Coolidge. 

DO we not sometimes feel, in trial or per- 
plexity, that others might help us if they 
would only stop and listen ? But they 
will not, and in their constant hurry we know 
it is little use to speak. Let us note the lesson 
for ourselves, and give what we ask, — leisure 

to hear, attentive, concentrated, not divided, 

calm, patient consideration. It may be our 
busy work, as we think, for the Master, which 
so overcrowds our lives that we have not time 
for this " standing still." Sad eyes meet ours, 
but we cannot stay to read their story. Some 
look to us for help in battles which we fought 
long ago, but we cannot turn aside to see how it 
fares with them in the strife, or to whisper the 
secret of victory. But He would have said, 
even though some plans of our own for His 
service were put aside, " Ye have done it unto 
Me " H. Bowman. 



120 



aprtl 29 



Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. — 
Luke xi. 2. 

Thy Father reigns supreme above, 

The glory of His name 
Is Grace and Wisdom, Truth and Love, 

His will must be the same. 
And thou hast asked all joys in one, 
In whispering forth, " Thy will be done." 

Frances R. Havergal. 

IN heaven God's will is done, and the Master 
teaches the child to ask that the will may 
be done on earth just as in heaven ; in the 
spirit of adoring submission and ready obedience. 
Because the will of God is the glory of heaven, 
the doing of it is the blessedness of heaven. 
As the will is done, the kingdom of heaven 
comes into the heart. 

Andrew Murray. 

What is it thou wouldst have done, that He 
cannot do if He think fit ? And if He think it 
not fit, if thou art one of His children, thou wilt 
think with Him ; thou wilt reverence His wis- 
dom, and rest satisfied with His will. This is 
believing indeed ; the rolling all our desires and 
burdens over upon an almighty God ; and 
where this is, it cannot choose but establish .the 
heart in the midst of troubles, and give it a calm 
within in the midst of the greatest storms. 

Robert Leighton. 



Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is 
within me, bless His holy name : Who redeemeth 
thy life from destruction; who crow net h thee with 
lovingkindness and tender mercies. — Ps. ciii. 1, 4. 

I DESIRE that thou shouldst consider with 
firm faith that I, thy most glorious God, 
who have created thee for eternal blessed- 
ness, am eternal, sovereign, omnipotent. I will 
that thou shouldst seriously meditate that in Me, 
thy God, dwell the most perfect knowledge and 
infinite wisdom ; so that in My government of 
thee, the heavens, and the earth, and the entire 
universe, I cannot be deceived in any way, or 
misled by any error. Were it otherwise, I 
should neither be all wise, nor should I be God. 
Also consider attentively that, as I am thy God, 
so am I infinitely good, yea, love itself in My 
essence ; that, therefore, I cannot will anything 
but that which is useful and salutary to thee and 
to all men ; nor can I wish any evil to My 
creatures. Thus illuminated by the living light 
of faith, thou wilt perceive that' I, thy God, have 
infinitely more knowledge, power, and will to 
advance thy happiness than thou hast. There- 
fore seek with all diligence to submit thyself 
totally to My will ; so shalt thou abide in con- 
tinual tranquillity of spirit, and shalt have Me 
forever with thee. 

St. Catharine of Siena. 



122 



iHat? i 



He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself 
also so to walk, even as He icalked. — I John ii. 6. 

SINCE our wav is troublesome and obscure, 
He commands us to mark His footsteps, 
tread where His feet have stood, and not 
only invites us forward by the argument of His 
example, but He hath trodden down much of the 
difficulty, and made the way easier and fit for 
our feet. 

Jeremy Taylor. 

Do deeds of love for Him, to Him, following 
His steps. Believest thou in Christ: Do the 
works of Christ, that thy faith may live. Thou 
who savest thou abidest in Christ, oughtest so 
to walk as He walked. If thou seekest thine 
own glory, enviest the prosperous, speakest ill 
of the absent, renderest evil to him who in- 
iureth thee, this did not Christ. 

Edward B. Pusey. 

To know Christ is the wav to grow in holi- 
ness. Christianity is not a religion of rules. 
It is the religion of the divine example. Try 
to follow the blessed steps of the most holy 
life. Take His advice. Ask yourself, in the 
moment of perplexity or temptation, what would 
He do if He were here : Nothing else will 
so surelv lead us into the way of holy living. 

George Hodges. 



iHctt? 2 



But when the young man heard that saying, he 
went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 
— Matt. xix. 22. 

WE too, in our own way, have often a 
quiet impression that we are keeping 
all the commandments sufficiently, and 
inheriting the eternal life. One day a tremen- 
dous duty opens before us, and we are aghast at 
its hardness. What shall we do ? What shall 
we answer ? Is Christ deserving of everything 
from us, or only of part ? It is a tremendous 
test which all cannot stand. 

Anthony W. Thorold. 

A great necessity is a great opportunity. 
Nothing is really lost by a life of sacrifice; 
everything is lost by failure to obev God's call. 
The opportunities of generously serving Jesus 
Christ are few ; perhaps not more than one in a 
lifetime. They come, they do not return. 
What we do upon a great occasion will probably 
depend upon what we already are ; what we are 
will be the result of previous years of self- 
discipline under the grace of Christ, or of the 
absence of it. Henry Parry Liddon. 



Things are not to be done by the effort of 
the moment, but by the preparation of past 
moments. Richard Cecil. 



i2 4 iHag 3 



Who is among you that walketh in darkness and 
hath no light ? let him trust in the name of the 
Lord, and stay upon his God. — Isa. 1. 10. 

The heart that yet can hope and trust, 
And cry to Thee, though from the dust, 
Is all unconquered still. 

Paul Gerhardt. 

PRESS this upon thv soul, for there is not 
such another charm for all its fears and 
disquiet ; therefore repeat it still with 
David, sing this till it be stilled, and chide 
thv distrustful heart into believing : " Why art 
thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou 
disquieted within me ? Hope in God, for I 
shall yet praise Him." Though I am all out 
of tune for the present, never a right thing in 
my soul, vet He will put forth His hand and 
redress all, and I shall yet once again praise, and 
therefore, even now, I will hope. 

Robert Leightox. 

Oh, that we could breathe out new hope, and 
new submission, every day. Our . waters are 
but ebb, and come neither to our chin, nor to 
the stopping of our breath. I mav see ( if I 
would borrow eves from Christ ) dry land, and 
that near : why then should we not laugh at 
adversity, and scorn our short-born and soon- 
dving temptations ? Samuel Rutherford. 



iHttt) 4 125 



Nothing shall by any means hurt you, — Luke 
x. 19. 

When thou passest through the waters, I will be 
with thee ; and through the rivers, they shall not 
overflow thee ; when thou walkest through the fire, 
thou shalt not be burned ; neither shall the flame 
kindle upon thee, — Isa. xliji. 2. 

JUST as soon as we turn toward Him with 
loving confidence, and say, " Thy will be 
done," whatever chills or cripples or en- 
slaves our spirits, clogs their powers, or hinders 
their development, melts away in the sunshine 
of His sympathy. He does 'not free us from 
the pain, but from its power to dull the sen- 
sibilities ; not from poverty and care, but from 
their tendency to narrow and harden ; not from 
calumny, but from the maddening poison in its 
sting; not from disappointment, but from the 
hopelessness and bitterness of thought which it 
so often engenders. We attain unto this perfect 
liberty when we rise superior to untoward cir- 
cumstances, triumph over the pain and weakness 
of disease, over unjust criticism, the wreck of 
earthly hopes, over promptings to envy, every 
sordid and selfish desire, every unhallowed long- 
ing, every doubt ofr God's wisdom and love and 
kindly care, when we rise into an atmosphere 
of undaunted moral courage, of restful content, 
of child-like trust, of holy, all-conquering calm. 

William W. Kinsley. 



126 ifffffi 5 



My soul is also sore vexed; but Thou, O Lord, how 
long-? Return, O Lord, deliver my soul; oh, save 
me for Thy mercies' sake. — Ps. vi. 3, 4. 

I lay my head upon Thy infinite heart, 

I hide beneath the shelter of Thy wing ; 

Pursued and tempted, helpless, I must cling 

To Thee, my Father 5 bid me not depart, 

For sin and death pursue, and Life is where Thou art! 

Anonymous. 

ACCUSTOM yourself to commune with 
God, not with thoughts deliberately formed 
to be expressed at a certain time, but with 
the feelings with which your heart is filled. If 
you enjoy His presence, and feel drawn by the 
attraction of His love, tell Him that you delight 
in Him, that you are happy in loving Him, and 
that He is very good to inspire so much affection 
in a heart so unworthy of His love. But what 
shall you say in seasons of dryness, coldness, 
weariness ? Still say what you have in your 
heart. Tell God that you no longer find His 
love within you, that you feel a terrible void, 
that He wearies you, that His presence does not 
move you. Say to Him, " O God, look upon 
my ingratitude, my inconstancy, my unfaithful- 
ness. Take my heart, for I cannot give it ; and, 
when Thou hast it, oh, keep it, for I cannot keep 
it for Thee ; and save me in spite of myself." 

Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 



IHrti) 6 127 



Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that 
He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation 
for our sins. — 1 John iv. 10. 

I saw a little child, with bandaged eyes, 
Put up its hands to feel its mother's face 5 

She bent, and took the tender groping palms, 
And pressed them to her lips a little space. 

I know a soul made blind by its desires, 

And yet its faith keeps feeling for God's face — 

Bend down, O Mighty Love, and let that faith 
One little moment touch Thy lips of Grace. 

Anna J. Granniss. 

IF I felt my heart as hard as a stone ; if I did 
not love God, or man, or woman, or little 
child, I would vet say to God in mv heart, 
" O God, see how I trust Thee, because Thou 
art perfect, and not changeable like me. I do not 
love Thee. I love nobody. I am not even sorry 
for it. Thou seest how much I need Thee to 
come close to me, to put Thy arm round me, 
to say to me, my child; for the worse mv state, 
the greater my need of my Father who loves me. 
Come to me, and mv day will dawn ; my love 
will come back, and, oh ! how I shall love 
Thee, my God ! and know that my love is Thy 
love, my blessedness Thy being." 

George Macdonald. 

Be persuaded, timid soul, that He has loved 
you too much to cease loving you. 

Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 



i28 itf.tt) 7 



716*2/ /£<? life also of Jesus might be made mani- 
fest in our mortal flesh. — 2 Cor. iv. 1 1. 

The fretting friction of our daily life, 

Heart-weariness with loving patience borne, 

The meek endurance of the inward strife, 
The painful crown of thorn, 

Prepare the heart for God's own dwelling-place, 
Adorn with sacred loveliness His shrine, 

And brighten every inconspicuous grace, 
For God alone to shine. 

Mary E. Atkinson. 

GOD has a purpose for each one of us, a 
work for each one to do, a place for each 
one to fill, an influence for each one to 
exert, a likeness to His dear Son for each one 
to manifest, and then, a place for each one to 
fill in His holy Temple. 

Arthur C. A. Hall. 

The surest method of arriving at a knowledge 
ot God's eternal purposes about us is to be 
found in the right use of the present moment. 
God's will does not come to us in the whole, 
but in fragments, and generally in small frag- 
ments. It is our business to piece it together, 
and to live it into one orderly vocation. 

F. W. Faber. 



iHat) 8 



129 



And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He 
was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 
— Luke xxiv. 51. 

Lift up our thoughts, lift up our songs, 

And let Thy grace be given, 
That while we linger here below, 

Our hearts may be in heaven. 

C. F. Alexander. 

THE parting blessing of our Lord was 
changed in the moment of its utterance 
into a pledge of eternal love, of unfail- 
ing and ever-watchful care for the well-being of 
His people. John Ellertox. 

When the living presence of Jesus was taken 
away from His own, it was not that thev were 
to have Him less, but in a lovelier, in a diviner 
way. For when He rose up to heaven, He took 
there with Him, all their hearts, and all their 
minds, and all their love. So is it with us. He 
is gone up to heaven, into the bosom of the 
Father, into the Father's heart of love, and we 
ascend up there with Him, with all our hearts, and 
all our love, and rest where He resteth, in the 
Father's heart. There is there no separation, 
but one life, one existence, as He is one with 
the Father. And thus it is that being one with 
Him we can be as clear, bright mirrors that 
reflect His glory. Hexry Suso. 

9 



130 Mm 9 



If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the 
Spirit. — Gal. v. 25. 

He that follow eth me shall not walk in darkness. 

— John viii. 12. 

No, my dear Lord, in following Thee, 
Not in the dark, uncertainly, 

This foot obedient moves ; 
'T is with a Brother and a King, 
Who many to His yoke will bring ; 

Who ever lives and ever loves. 

John Gambold. 

IF we are so led by the Spirit, where we go, 
and what we do, is of comparatively little 
moment ; we may be forced by the circum- 
stances of our life into surroundings that seem 
full of peril, but if God sent us there, such sur- 
roundings can do us no harm, though they may 
dull our feeling of happiness. Only let us re- 
member that if, by God's mercy, we are free 
agents, and can choose our own way of life, 
then it is simple mockery to talk of aspirations 
for the higher life, if we'deliberately indulge our 
lower nature, by living in an atmosphere of 
worldliness, or by doing something which is, 
perhaps, quite innocent for others, but con- 
sciously works us harm. George H. Wilkinson. 

No one who has not tried it would believe 
how many difficulties are cleared out of a man's 
road by the simple act of trying to follow Christ. 

Alexander MacLaren. 



iflau io 131 



They that say such things declare plainly that 
they seek a country. — Heb. xi. 14. 

For our citizenship is in heaven. — Phil. iii. 20 
(R. V.). 

Green are the fields of the earth, holy and sweet her joys ; 
Take, and taste, and be glad — as fruit and blossom and 
bird, 

But still as an exile, Soul 5 then, hey, with a singing voice, 
For the stars and sun and sweet heaven, whose ultimate 

height is the Lord ! 
Ripe, lovely, and glad, you shall grow in the light of His 

face and His word. 

Katherine Tynan Hinkson. 

STAND still awhile, and seriously consider 
the noble end for which thou wast created, 
and for which God hath placed thee in this 
world ! Thou wast not created for time and 
the creature, but for God and eternity, and to 
employ thyself with God and eternity. And 
thou art in the world, to the end that thou 
mayest again seek God, and His countenance 
which giveth blessedness, from which thou hast 
turned thyself away by sin ; in order that thou 
mayest become thoroughly sanctified and en- 
lightened, and that God may have joy, delight, 
peace, and pleasure in thee, and thou in God. 

Gerhard Tersteegen. 

That prayer taught by the saints, " Make me 
reach, my God, the degree of holiness to which 
Thou didst call me in creating me ! " 

Lady Georgiana Fullerton. 



132 iftat> ii 



/ know whom I have believed, and am persuaded 
that He is able to keep that which I 'have com- 
mitted unto Him against that day. — 2 Tim. i. 12. 

Let me Thy power, Thy beauty see ; 

So shall the hopeless labor cease, 
And my free heart shall follow Thee 

Through paths of everlasting peace. 
My strength Thy gift — my life Thy care, — 
I shall forget to seek elsewhere 

The wealth to which my soul is heir. 

Anna L. Waring. 

TO give heart and mind to God, so that 
thev are ours no longer — to do good 
without being conscious of it, to pray 
ceaselessly and without effort as we breathe — 
to love without stopping to reflect upon our 
feelings — such is the perfect forgetfulness of 
self, which casts us upon God, as a babe rests 
upon its mother's breast. Jean Nicolas Grou. 

Abiding in Jesus is not a work that needs each 
moment the mind to be engaged, or the affec- 
tions to be directly and actively occupied with 
it. It is an entrusting of oneself to the keeping 
of the Eternal Love, in the faith that it will 
abide near us, and with its holy presence watch 
over us and ward off the evil, even when we have 
to be most intently occupied with other things. 
And so the heart has rest and peace and joy in 
the consciousness of being kept when it cannot 
keep itself. Andrew Murray. 



iWat> 12 133 



Who gave Himself for us, that He might re- 
deem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself 
a people for His own possession, -zealous of good 
works. — Titus ii. 14 (R. V.). 

Love only can the conquest win, 

The strength of sin subdue ; 
Come, O my Saviour, cast out sin, 

And form my soul anew. 

Charles Wesley. 

LIVING'and victorious faith is that whereby 
Christ dwelleth in our hearts. - But Christ 
will not dwell in our hearts, if we fill our 
hearts with things which He hates. Yet is there 
then no victory, nor real faith, when the world 
holds a struggle with us, sometimes overcoming 
us, sometimes overcome ? In some things vic- 
tory should be complete at once. Sins of 
infirmity there may be ; sins against light there 
should not be. To do wilfully and knowingly 
what God hates, destroys faith, and hope, and 
love. B.ut so that thou art fighting against thy 
besetting sin, if thou art conquering thyself, 
thou art still Christ's soldier, even though in 
thought, word, or deed, thou be, from time 
to time, in lesser things surprised. This, then, 
is matter of faith, that if we will, we can, by the 
grace of God, prevail over every temptation. 

Edward B. Pusey. 



134 Mm *3 



Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for 
ever; for they are the rejoicing of my heart. — Ps. 
cxix. in. 

Girt with the love of God on every side, 
Breathing that love as heaven's own healing air, 
I work or wait, still following my Guide, 
Braving each foe, escaping every snare. 

Horatius Bon ar. 

THE Lord preserve us near unto Himself, 
out of that which separates from Him 
and weakens ; and nothing shall be able 
to interrupt our joy in the Lord, nor our delight 
and pleasure in His will. 

Isaac Penington. 

It is easy to make great sacrifices when God 
does not ask them, but to give up our own will 
in each detail of life is something far harder. 
And this is what He does ask. To hold our- 
selves ever in readiness for His bidding — to 
count no token of it too slight — such is His 
call to each. Thus only shall we be ready for 
further service if He sees fit to lead us on to it. 

H. Bowman. 

To live in the Spirit is the right condition of 
man, his normal condition ; and to live in the 
Spirit is to live with God — hearing Him, and 
knowing Him, and loving Him, and delighting 
to do His will. Thomas Erskine. 



Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out 
your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.— 
Ps. Ixii. 8. 

From tedious toil, from anxious care, 
Dear Lord, I turn again to Thee ; 
Thy presence and Thy smile to share 
Makes every burden light to me. 

Ray Palmer. 

IT is a good thing to have fixed seasons for 
lifting up the heart to God, not merely the 
appointed hours of prayer, but a momentary 
act before and after meals, beginning any occu- 
pation, entering into society, leaving the house, 
etc. Especially it is a help to make such brief 
acts after having said or done anything either 
wrong or foolish, after any trifling vexation or 
disappointment, when the spirit feels, it may be, 
wounded and desolate, or when one's vanity is 
annoyed at having been guilty of some little folly 
or unseemliness. Sometimes w T e are more really 
troubled and sore at trifles of this sort than at 
far weightier things. But if all such things 
were met with a momentary uplifting of the 
heart to God, all these little frailties and worries 
would tend to mould the character more and 
more to God's pattern, and they would assuredly 
lose their sting ; for he who thinks much of 
God will daily think less of himself. 

H. L. Sidney Lear. 



iHao 15 



Thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day 
of my trouble. — Ps. lix. 16. 

Commit thy way to God, 

The weight which makes thee faint j 
Worlds are to Him no load, 

To Him breathe thy complaint. 
Up ! up ! the day is breaking, 

Say to thy cares, good-night ! 
Thy troubles from thee shaking, 

Like dreams in day's fresh light. 

Paul Gerhardt. 

WHEN you find yourself, as I dare say 
vou sometimes do, overpowered as it 
were by melancholy, the best way is 
to go out, and do something kind to somebody 
or other. John Keble. 

Do not give way to depression, — but resign 
yourself to our dear Lord with the object of 
bearing bravely the discomforts and petty con- 
tradictions of this life. Charles de Condren. 

Never suffer yourself to be subdued by mel- 
ancholy ; it is amongst the things that will most 
injure you. It is impossible to persevere in the 
path of holiness, if we give not ourselves to it 
with joy. The love of God should impart peace 
to the soul. Madame pe Guyon. 



iHcto 16 137 



My flesh and my heart faileth ; but God is the 
strength of my heart, and my portion for ever, — 
Ps. lxiii. 26. 

O, little heart of mine ! shall pain 

Or sorrow make thee moan, 
When all this God is all for thee, 

A Father and thine own? 

Frederick W. Faber. 

MAKE allowance for infirmities of the 
flesh, which are purely physical. To 
be fatigued, body and soul, is not sin; 
to be in "heaviness" is not sin. Christian 
life is not a feeling ; it is a principle : when 
your hearts will not fly, let them go, and if they 
u will neither fly nor go," be sorry for them and 
patient with them, and take them to Christ, as 
you would carry your little lame child to a ten- 
der-hearted, skilful surgeon. Does the surgeon, 
in such a case, upbraid the child for being lame ? 

Elizabeth Prentiss. 

When you feel ill and indisposed, and when 
in this condition your prayer is cold, heavy, 
filled with despondency, and even despair, do 
not be disheartened or despairing, for the Lord 
knows your sick and painful condition. Strug- 
gle against your infirmity, pray as much as you 
have strength to, and the Lord will not despise 
the infirmity of your flesh and spirit. 

Father John. 



Through God we shall do valiantly, for He it is 
that shall tread down our enemies, — Ps. lx. 12. 

Create in me a clean heart, God ; and renew 
a right spirit within me, — Ps. li. 10. 

IF any man compares his own soul with the 
picture drawn in the Xew Testament of 
what a Christian ought to be; if any man 
fixes his eve on the pattern of self-sacrifice, of 
puritv, of truth, of tenderness, and measures his 
own distance from that standard, he might be 
ready to despair. But fear not, because you 
are far from being like the pattern set before 
you ; fear not because Your faults are painful to 
think of: continue the battle and fear not. It, 
indeed, you are content with yourself, and are 
making no endeavor to rise above the poor level 
at which you 'now stand, then there is reason 
to fear. But if you are righting with all your 
might, fear not, however often you may have 
fallen, however deeplv, however ungratefully, 
however inexcusably. This one thing we can 
give, and this is what He asks, hearts that shall 
never cease from this day forward, till we reach 
the grave, to strive to be more like Him; to 
come nearer to Him ; to root out from within 
us the sin that keeps us from Him. To such a 
battle, brethen, I call you in His name. 

Frederick Temple. 



139 



The Lord make you to increase and abound in love 
one toward another, and toward all men, even as we 
do toward you, — 1 Thess. iii. 12. 
If we love God, we know what loving is, 
For love is God's, He sent it to the earth, 
Half-human, half-divine, all glorious, — 
Half-human, half-divine, but wholly His ; 

Not loving God, we know not love's true worth, 
We taste not the great gift He gave to us. 

Maurice Francis Egan. 

LET us see that whenever we have failed to 
be loving, we have also failed to be wise; 
that whenever we have been blind to our 
neighbors' interests, we have also been blind 
to our own ; whenever we have hurt others, we 
have hurt ourselves still more. Let us, at this 
blessed Whitsuntide, ask forgiveness of God for 
all acts of malice and uncharitableness, blindness 
and hardness of heart ; and pray for the spirit of 
true charity, which alone is true wisdom. And 
let us come to Holy Communion in charity 
with each other and with all ; determined hence- 
forth to feel for each other, and with each 
other ; to put ourselves in our neighbors' places ; 
to see with their eves, and to feel with their 
hearts, so far as God shall give us that great 
grace; determined to make allowances for their 
mistakes and failings ; to give and forgive, even 
as God gives and forgives, for ever ; that so we 
may be indeed the children of our Father in 
heaven, whose name is Love. Charles Kincsley. 



Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on 
the new man, which after God is created in righteous- 
ness and true holiness. — Eph. iv. 23, 24. 

BE constant, O happy soul, be constant, and 
of good courage; for, however intolerable 
thou art to thyself, yet thou wilt be pro- 
tected, enriched, and beloved by that greatest 
Good, as if He had nothing else to do than to 
lead thee to perfection by the highest steps of 
loye ; and if thou dost not turn away, but per- 
severest constantly, know that thou offerest to 
God the most acceptable sacrifice. If, from the 
chaos of nothing, His omnipotence has produced 
so many wonders, what will He do in thy soul, 
created after His own image and likeness, if thou 
keepest constant, quiet, and resigned. 

Miguel de Molinos. 

■ Wouldst thou feel thy soul's rest in Christ ? 
Thou must know His voice, hear it, learn daily 
of Him, become His disciple ; take up, from His 
nature, what is contrary to thy nature. And 
then, as thv nature is worn out, and His nature 
comes up in thee, thou wilt find all easy ; all 
that is of life easv, and transgression hard — un- 
belief hard : yea, thou wilt find it yerv hard and 
unnatural, when His nature is grown up in thee, 
either to distrust the Lord or hearken to His 
enemy. Isaac Penington. 



iHap 20 



He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation 
of the world, that we should be holy and without 
blame before Him in love. — Eph. i. 4. 

O Love, who formedst me to wear 

The image of Thy Godhead here ; 
Who soughtest me with tender care 

Through all my wanderings wild and drear ; 
O Love! I give myself to Thee, 
Thine ever, only Thine to be. 

Jo HAN N SCHEFFLER. 

TTTE live not for ourselves, but for God; 
\\ tor some purpose of His; for some 
special end to be accomplished, which 
He has willed to be accomplished by oneself, 
and not by another; something which will be 
left undone, if we do it not, or not be done as 
it would have been done, if the one ordained to 
it had done it. We live gifted with certain 
forms of spiritual grace embodied in us, for 
some purpose of Divine Love to be fulfilled by 
us, some idea of the Divine Mind to be imaged 
forth in our creaturelv state. To devote oneself 
to God is to concentrate the powers of one's 
being to their ordained end, and therefore to have 
the happiest and truest life — happiest, because 
happiness must be in the accordance of these 
powers with the law of their creation, and truest, 
because the attainment of the highest glory must 
be in the accomplishment of the end for which 
we were created. T. T. Carter. 



I 4 '2 



iititt) 21 



To //^w who by patient continuance in well-doing, 
seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life, 
— Rom. ii. 7. 

Let us run with patience the race that is set be- 
fore us. — Heb. xii. I. 

Thus would I press on to the glory, 

A knight in the army of God, 
Whose march will be onward and forward, 

Because of the foes on the road. 
Before me the guerdon Thou givest, 

My glorious eternal reward, 
And with me Thy peace and Thy wisdom, 

Because of the Cross of the Lord. 

Henry Suso. 

IF He calls you to a kind of service which is 
according to His will but not according to 
your taste, vou must not go to it with less, 
rather with more courage and energy than if 
your taste coincided with His will. The less 
of self and self-will there is in anything we do, 
the better. You must not amuse yourself with 
going from side to side, when duty calls you 
straight on ; nor make difficulties, when the 
real thing is to get over them. Let your heart 
be full of courage, and then say, " I shall suc- 
ceed. Not I, but the grace of God which is 
with me." 

St. Francis de Sales. 



iKfffi 22 143 



Not slothful in business ; fervent in spirit ; serv- 
ing the Lord. — Rom. xii. 11. 

LET us begin from this moment to acknowl- 
edge Him in all our ways, and do every- 
thing, whatsoever we do, as service to Him 
and for His glory, depending upon Him alone 
for wisdom, and strength, and sweetness, and 
patience, and everything else that is necessary 
for the right accomplishing of all our living. It 
is not so much a change of acts that will be 
necessary, as a change of motive and of depend- 
ence. The house will be kept, or the children 
cared for, or the business transacted, perhaps, 
just the same as before as to the outward, but 
inwardly God will be acknowledged, and de- 
pended on, and served ; and there will be all 
the difference between a life lived at ease in the 
glory of His Presence, and a life lived painfully 
and with effort apart from Him. There will 
result also from this bringing of God into our 
affairs a wonderful accession of divine wisdom 
in the conduct of them, and a far greater 
quickness and despatch in their accomplishment, 
a surprising increase in the fertility of resource, 
and an enlargement on every side that will amaze 
the hitherto cramped and cabined soul. 

Hannah Whitall Smith. 



i 4 4 iftffl? 23 



When I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light 
unto me. — Micah vii. 8. 

When doubts disturb my troubled breast, 

And all is dark as night to me, 
Here, as on solid rock, I rest, — 

That so it seemeth good to Thee. 

Ray Palmer. 

WHEN trouble, restless fears, anxious 
fretfulness, strive to overpower the soul, 
our safety is in saying, " My God, I be- 
lieve in Thy perfect goodness and wisdom and 
mercy. What Thou doest I cannot now un- 
derstand ; but I shall one day see it all plainly. 
Meanwhile I accept Thy will, whatever it may 
be, unquestioning, without reserve." There 
would be no restless disturbance, no sense of 
utter discomfort and discomposure in our souls, 
if we were quite free from any — it may be al- 
most unconscious — opposition to God's will. 
But we do struggle against it, we do resist ; and 
so long as that resistance endures we cannot be 
at peace. Peace, and even joy, are quite com- 
patible with a great deal of pain — even mental 
pain — but never with a condition of antagonism 
or resistance. H. L. Sidney Lear. 

Let him set his heart firmly upon this resolu- 
tion : " I must bear it inevitably, and I will, by 
God's grace, do it nobly." Jeremy Taylor. 



iHat> 24 145 



Cause me to know the way wherein I should 
walk ; for I lift up my soul unto Thee. — Ps. cxliii. 8. 

I will guide thee with mine eye. — Ps. xxxii. 8. 

Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth Thee 5 
Thou art my God, in Thee I live and move \ 
Oh, let Thy loving Spirit lead me forth 
Into the land of righteousness and love. 

J. B. S. MONSELL. 

THE minds that are alive to every word 
from God, give constant opportunity for 
His divine interference with a suggestion 
that mav alter the courses of their lives ; and, 
like the ships that turn when the steersman's 
hand but touches the helm, God can steer them 
through the worst dangers by the faintest breath 
of feeling, or the lightest touch of thought. 

Richard H. Hutton. 

It is no delusion, no dream of a hot brain, no 
error of a too confiding soul, that has made the 
children of God delight to trust in His Provi- 
dential aid. When God, in deed and in truth, 
is present and dominant in the soul of a man, He 
can, and He will give to that soul a real guidance. 
He will guide it, with the guidance of an eye 
that seeth and foreseeth, — that knoweth what 
is best for us and the world, and leadeth us in 
that way wherein, for our sakes, and the world's, 
it is best for us to go. 

Henry Septimus Sutton. 
10 



146 iHat? 25 



Serve the Lord with gladness. For the Lord is 
good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth 
endureth to all generations. — Ps. c. 2, 5. 

Teach me Thy love to know j 
That this new light which now I see, 
May both the work and workman show : 
Then by a sunbeam I will climb to Thee. 

George Herbert. 

WHY should we not rejoice in the good 
things of God r If the day is pure and 
serene, we enjov its- gladness. Why 
should we not rejoice in the serene light of truth 
that shines from Heaven upon us ? We tind a 
joy in the presence and cheerful greeting of our 
friends. Why should we not look up to Heaven, 
whence so many pure and most loving faces look 
upon us with divine affection, and with most 
tender desires to cheer and help us ? Having 
an almighty and most loving Father, in whom 
we live, and move, and have our being, let us 
rejoice in Him. Having a most loying Saviour, 
who has made Himself our brother, and feeds 
us with His life, we ougVit surely to rejoice in 
Him. Having the Holy Spirit of God with us, 
making us His temples, and pouring His love into 
our hearts, we ought certainly to answer His 
love, and rejoice in His overflowing goodness. 
u Rejoice in the Lord alway, and 'again I say, 
Rejoice." William Bernard Ullathorxe. 



*47 



Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that 
walketh in His ways. . . . Happy shalt thou be, 
and it shall be well with thee. — Ps. cxxviii. I, 2. 

WE think it a gallant thing, to be fluttering 
up to heaven with our wings of knowl- 
edge and speculation ; whereas the high- 
est mystery of a divine life here, and of perfect 
happiness hereafter, consists in nothing but mere 
obedience to the Divine will. Happiness is 
nothing but that inward sweet delight, which 
will arise from the harmonious agreement be- 
tween our wills and the will of God. There is 
nothing in the whole world able to do us good 
or hurt, but God, and our own will : neither 
riches nor poverty, nor disgrace nor honor, nor 
life nor death, nor angels nor devils; but willing, 
or not willing, as we ought. 

Ralph Cudworth. 

The one misery of man is self-will, the one 
secret of blessedness is the conquest over our 
own wills. To yield them up to God is rest 
and peace. What disturbs us in this world is 
not "trouble," but our opposition to trouble. 
The true source of all that frets and irritates, 
and wears away our lives, is not in external 
things, but in the resistance of our wills to the 
will of God expressed by external things. 

Alexander MacLaren. 



148 iHai> 27 



AW, O Lord, Thou art our Father ; we are 
the clay, and Thou our potter ; and we all are the 
work of Thy hand. — Is a. lxiv. 8. 

To be conformed to the image of His Son. — 
Rom. viii. 29. 

Thou shalt do what Thou wih with Thine own hand. 
Thou form 1 st the spirit like the moulded clay 5 
For those who love Thee keep Thy just command, 
And in Thine image grow as they obey. 

Jones Very. 

HE who hath appointed thee thy task, will 
proportion it to thy strength, and thy 
strength to the burden which He lays 
upon thee. He who maketh the seed grow thou 
knowest not how, and seest not, will, thou 
knowest not how, ripen the seed which He hath 
sown in thy heart, and leaven thee by the secret 
workings of His good Spirit. Thou mayest not 
see the change thyself, but He will gradually 
change thee, make thee another man. Only 
yield thyself to His moulding hand, as clay to 
the potter, having no wishes of thy own, but 
seeking in sincerity, however faint, to have His 
will fulfilled in thee, and He will teach thee 
what to pray for, and will give thee what He 
teacheth thee. He will retrace His own image 
on thee line by line, effacing by His grace and 
gracious discipline the marks and spots of sin 
which have defaced it. Edward B. Pusey. 



iHai) 28 149 



A new commandment I give unto you, That ye 
love one another ; as I have loved you, that ye also 
love one another, — John xiii. 34. 

One with our brethren here in love, 

And one with saints that are at rest, 
And one with angel hosts above, 
And one with God for ever blest. 

Isaac Williams. 

ALL extreme sensitiveness, fastidiousness, 
suspicion, readiness to take offence, and 
tenacity of what we think our due, come 
from self-love, as does the unworthy secret grati- 
fication we sometimes feel when another is 
humbled or mortified ; the cold indifference, the 
harshness of our criticism, the unfairness and 
hastiness of our judgments, our bitterness towards 
those we dislike, and many other faults which 
must more or less rise up before most men's 
conscience, when they question it sincerely as to 
how far thev do indeed love their neighbors as 
Christ has loved them. He will root out all 
dislikes and aversions, all readiness to take 
offence, all resentments, all bitterness, from the 
heart which is given up to His guidance. He 
will infuse His own tender love for man into 
His servant's mind, and teach him to u love his 
brother as Christ has loved him." 

Jean Nicolas Grou. 

Enjoying each other's good is heaven begun. 

Lucy C. Smith. 



i5° iHat> 29 



Therefore are they before the throne of God, and 
serve Him day and night in His temple ; and He 
that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. — 
Rev. vii. 15. 

So many worlds, so much to do, 
So little done, such things to be, 
How know I what had need of thee, 

For thou wert strong as thou wert true ? 

Alfred Tennyson. 

THEY who have gone before have not 
therefore passed into a condition of leth- 
argy or vacancv. Thev may be nearer 
to us, as thev are nearer to the perfect love. 
Thev may guide us towards a holier and ampler 
freedom, since thev suffer no more the limi- 
tations of time. The veil is rent. There is 
with us the presence of the unseen host. 

Elisha Mulford. 

The work of God hath not lost them, if we take 
it in its most capacious, comprehensive accept- 
ation. God hath a will to be done not in earth 
onlv, but also in heaven ; thev are not dismissed 
from the King's business who are called from the 
camp to the Court, from being common soldiers 
to be Privy Councillors. 

Abraham Cheare. 



We pray always for you, that our God would 
count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the 
good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith 
with power. — 2 Thess. i. 11. 

Thou settest us each task divine, 
We bless that helping hand of Thine, 

That strength by Thee bestowed. 
Thou minglest in the glorious fight j 
Thine own the cause ! Thine own the might ! 

We serve the Living God. 

Thomas H. Gill. 

fJWERY hard effort generously faced, every 
sacrifice cheerfully submitted to, every 
word spoken under difficulties, raises those 
who speak or act or suffer to a higher level ; en- 
dows them with a clearer sight of God ; braces 
them with a will of more strength and freedom ; 
warms them with a more generous and large and 
tender heart. 

Henry P. Liddon* 

A man's best desires are always the index and 
measure of his possibilities ; and the most diffi- 
cult duty that a man is capable of doing is the 
duty that above all he should do. 

Charles H. Brent. 

Under the laws of Providence, we have duties 
which are perilous. 

Austin Phelps. 



1 52 iHat) 31 



Then shall thou call, and the Lord shall answer ; 
thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am. — Is A. 
lviii. 9. 

Ever quickly Thou dost hear 

Thy children's feeble cry. 
And dost keep them everywhere 

Beneath Thy watchful eye ; 
And 'midst the worlds that lean on Thee 
Thou hast faithful thoughts of me. Anon. 

"TIE will be very gracious unto thee at the 
t 1 voice of thy cry/ 5 That has comforted 
me often, more than any promise of 
answer; it includes answers, and a great deal 
more besides ; it tells us what He is towards us, 
and that is more than what He will do. And the 
"cry" is not long, connected, thoughtful prayers; 
a cry is just an unworded dart upwards of the 
heart, and at that " voice " He will be very 
gracious. What a smile there is in these words ! 

F. R. Havergal. 

He that hath not tempted you hitherto above 
your strength will continue so to the end. If, 
for a time, He hide His face from you, yet He 
doth it but for a moment, to make you the more 
heartily to cry to Him; and surely He will hear 
you, not only when you are in crying, but also 
whilst you are in thinking how to cry. He is 
with you in trouble, and will indeed deliver you. 

John Bradford. 



Suite i 153 



Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name ; 
ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be fulL 
— -John xvi. 24. 

God's " ask 11 
Meaneth all fulness and all grace 3 
Access in every time and place 5 

Yet we 

To whom this mercy is so free, 
This privilege of light to bask 

In the full sunshine of His face. 
Regard prayer even as a task. 

Anna E. Hamilton. 

THERE is some power we have not vet 
discovered, some secret as yet unknown, 
— but oh ! what a marvellous power ! 
what a blessed secret ! that can make the 
Christian life a life of love, and trust, and bright 
serenity; something different from the duty-life, 
which, though real, does not satisfy; having all 
the activity and earnestness of the duty-life, but 
having with it the peace and joy which many 
and many a soul is craving. 

William R. Huntington. 

We do not value as we ought our inestimable 
privilege of being allowed to worship God. We 
do not prize our heavenly prerogative of being 
permitted to keep His commandments. We 
look at that as an obligation which is more 
properly a boon, 

Frederick W. Faber. 



i54 %um 2 



That ye may be counted worthy of the Kingdom 
of God. — 2 Thess. i. 5. 

Fear not, for He hath sworn ; 

Faithful and true His name 5 
The glorious hours are onward borne 5 

'T is lit, th' immortal flame $ 
It glows around thee ; kneel, and strive, and win 
Daily one living ray — 't will brighter glow within. 

John Keble. 

COUNT that day lost (though thou may est 
have despatched much business therein) 
in which thou hast neither gained some 
victory over thine own evil inclinations and thy 
self-will, nor returned thanks to thy Lord for 
His mercies. 

Lorenzo Scupoli. 

Between dawn and dark there is time enough 
for the collisions of disinterestedness with selfish- 
ness in our dealings with our fellow-creatures, 
in the life of our own homes ; time enough to 
meet or to evade the demands of homely faith- 
fulness in our several work, time enough to 
confront the sturdy rebellion of passions and 
besetting sins against our spiritual nature, time 
enough to win or to lose heaven in. 

Henry Wilder Foote. 



It is no small matter to lose or to gain the 
Kingdom of God. Thomas a Kempis. 



Suite 3 



155 



All things are yours ; whether Paul, or Apollos, 
or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things 
present, or things to come ; all are yours ; and ye are 
Christ's ; and Christ is God's. — 1 Cor. iii. 21—23. 

For those who worship Thee there is no death, 
For all they do is but with Thee to dwell $ 
Now while I take from Thee this passing breath, 
It is but of Thy glorious name to tell. 

Jones Very. 

MARK those men whose life is hidden in 
God, so that of themselves they make 
no account. Thus can they delight 
themselves fully and freely in all that which 
God is doing, apart from the thought of them- 
selves; and to them therefore it is true that 
heaven and earth are theirs, and all things 
are theirs, and fulfil their will, because the will 
of God is their will. And their cup overfloweth 
with joy even here below, because in all things 
they have a joy and delight that is steadfast and 
full. Whilst they walk with God, all is peace. 
For in Him sorrow is not sorrow, and pain is 
not pain, but all is peace and rest, all that God 
willeth, to them is sweet and pleasant. Nor is 
it only that to them the will of God is sweet. It 
is more than this. For to them He gives the fair 
sunshine of His comfort, and the blessed joy of 
heaven, even here below. So that they live al- 
ready as it were in heaven. 

Henry Suso. 



i 5 6 



Blessed is the man that trust eth in the Lord, and 
whose hope the Lord is. — Jer. xvii. 7. 

Thus will I live and walk from day to day, 
Contented, trustful, satisfied, and still ; 

What life so shielded, or what life so free, 
As that within the centre of Thy will ! 

Jane Woodfall. 

FOLLOW Christ in the denial of all the 
wills of self and then all is put away that 
separates you from God ; the heaven-born 
new creature will come to life in you, which 
alone knows and enjoys the things of God, and 
has his daily food of gladness in that manifold 
Blessed, and Blessed, which Christ p-reached 
on the mount. 

William Law. 

Divine tranquillity grows from the life of God 
in the soul, which is the same as the life of 
pure love. Why should a soul be otherwise 
than tranquil, which seeks for nothing but what 
comes in the providence of God ; and which, 
forgetful of self, has nothing to do but to love ? 
It has an innate conviction, strong as the ever- 
lasting foundations, that, if there is a God above 
us, all is well, all must be well. 

Thomas C. Upham. 



Suite 5 



i57 



And now I exhort you to be of good cheer. — Acts 
xxvii. 22. 

/ will be glad and rejoice in Thee ; I will sing 
praise to Thy name, O Thou most High. — Ps. ix. 2. 

IF you have a murmuring spirit, vou cannot 
have true cheerfulness ; it will generally 
show in your countenance and your voice. 
Some little fretfulness or restlessness of tone 
will betray it. Your cheerfulness is forced, it 
does not spring up freelv and healthilv out of 
your heart, which it can only do when that is 
truly at rest in God ; when vou are satisfied 
with His ways, and wishing no change in them. 
When this is trulv vour case, then your heart 
and mind are free, and you can rejoice in spirit. 

Priscilla Maurice. 

Let us seek the grace of a cheerful heart, an 
even temper, sweetness, gentleness, and bright- 
ness of mind, as walking in His light, and bv 
His grace. Let us prav to Him to give us the 
spirit of ever-abundant, ever-springing love, 
which overpowers and sweeps awav the vexa- 
tions of life bv its own richness and strength, 
and which, above all things, unites us to Him 
who is the fountain and the centre of all mercy, 
loving-kindness, and joy. 

John Henry Newman. 



158 



Stttte 6 



/ will run the way of Thy commandments, when 
Thou shalt enlarge my heart. — Ps. cxix. 32. 

My hands also will I lift up unto Thy command- 
ments, which I have loved. — Ps. cxix. 48. 

LOVE is higher than duty. But the reason 
is that love in reality contains duty in it- 
self. Love without a sense of duty is a 
mere delusion, from which we cannot too soon 
set ourselves free. Love is duty and something 
more. 

Frederick Temple. 

Think not anything little, wherein we may 
fulfil His commandments. It is in the midst 
of common and ordinary duties that our life is 
placed; common occupations make up our lives. 
By faith and love we obey ; but by obedience 
are the faith and love, which God gives us, 
strengthened. Then shall we indeed love 
our Lord, when we seek to please Him in all 
things, speak or are silent, sleep or wake, labor 
or rest, do or suffer, with a single eye to His 
service. God give us grace so to love Him, 
that we may in all things see Him ; in all, 
obey ; and, obeying, see Him more clearly and 
love Him less unworthily ; and so, in that 
blissful harmonv of obedience and of love, be 
prepared to see Him " face to face." 

Edward B. Pusey. 



1 S9 



Strengthened with might by His Spirit in the 
inner man ; that Christ may dwell in your hearts 
by faith. — Eph. iii. 1 6, 17. 

MAY we not only be delivered from the 
outward act or word that grieves Thee, 
but may the very springs of our nature 
be purified ! 

F. B. Meyer. 

Take the last transient swell of petty impa- 
tience, or of unkind criticism ; things which to 
the unawakened conscience look so small, to 
the awakened conscience so large. There is 
not one that need have taken place. Had I 
been walking that moment with God, abiding 
that moment in Christ, drawing that moment 
on the sanctifying Spirit's power, I should not 
have lost temper, I should not have thought un- 
kindly ; — not only should I not have looked 
impatience, or indulged in needless severity of 
wards. The occasion for the very feeling would 
have been as if it were not, because neutralized 
in Jesus Christ. And if that might have been 
true for the last five minutes, why should it 
not be true for the next five, for the present 
minute ? " I can do all things," I have re- 
sources for all circumstances, "in Him that 
strengtheneth me." 

Handley C. G. Moule. 



i6o 



3)U1TC 8 



Put on therefore, a heart of compassion, kindness, 
humility, jneekness, longsujfering ; forbearing one 
another, and forgiving each other, if any man have 
a complaint against any ; even as the Lord forgave 
you, so also do ye. — Col. iii. 12, 13 (R. V.). 

The discord is within, which jars 

So sadly in life's song j 
' Tis we, not they who are in fault, 

When others seem so wrong. 

Frederick Wm. Faber. 

SELF-PREOCCUPATION v self-broodings, 
self-interest, self-love, — these are the rea- 
sons why you go jarring against your fel- 
lows. Turn your eves off yourself: look up, 
and out ! There are men, your brothers, and 
women, your sisters ; they have needs that vou 
can aid. Listen for their confidences ; keep 
your heart wide open to their calls, and vour 
hands alert for their service. Learn to give, 
and not to take ; to drown vour own hunorv 
wants in the happiness of lending yourself to 
fulfil the interests of those nearest or dearest. 
Look up and out, from this narrow, cabined self 
of yours, and you will jar no longer; vou will 
tret no more, you will provoke no more; but 
you will, to your own glad surprise, find the secret 
of " the meekness and the gentleness of Jesus " ; 
and the fruits of the Spirit will all bud and 
blossom from out of vour life. 

Henry Scott Holland. 



3htire 9 161 



The Lord bless thee, and keep thee ; the Lord 
make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto 
thee ; the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, 
and give thee peace, — Num. vi. 24-26. 

The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath 
are the everlasting arms. — Deut. xxxiii. 27. 

THOU wilt in time experience that thou 
dost belong not only to this life, but also 
art capable of enjoying and beholding 
God and eternal things, to thy perfect content- 
ment and rest. Thou wilt then fix thine eyes, 
like a little innocent child, upon the face of 
God, steadfastly and joyfully ; and He in 
return, like a faithful and loving mother, will 
keep His eyes upon thee, by which thou wilt 
be made holy through and through, and trans- 
formed into the same image from glory to glory. 
All thy delight, joy, and bliss will be in God, and 
God, in return, will have His joy and good 
pleasure in thee. He will rest and dwell in 
thee, as in His serene throne of peace; and thy 
spirit, that had so long gone astray, like a friend- 
less child in a foreign land, will again sweetly 
repose in its true rest and home, in undisturbed 
peace. And thus thou wilt become a clear 
heaven of the ever-blessed God, in which He 
will dwell, and which He will fill with His 
divine light and love, and in which He will be 
glorified in time and in eternity. 

Gerhard Tersteegen. 



\6z %\xm io 



Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and 
peace in believing, that ye /nay abound in hope, 
through the power of the Holy Ghost. — Rom.xv. 13. 

^ ^\0, I entreat you, drive away all these 
Jf anxious thoughts which hinder your soul, 
and try to serve God cheerfully. Be res- 
olute in overcoming self, and in bearing with 
vour mental troubles whatever thev be, leaving 
all to God, and doing whatever you know to be 
His will, quicklv and heartily ; be gentle, pa- 
tient, humble, and courteous to all, but especially 
be gentle and patient with vourself. I think 
that manv of vour troubles arise from an exag- 
gerated anxiety, a secret impatience with your 
own faults ; and this restlessness, when once it 
has got possession of your mind, is the cause of 
numberless trifling faults, which worry you, and 
20 on adding to vour burden until it becomes 
unbearable. I would have you honest in check- 
ing and correcting vourself, but at the same 
time patient under the consciousness of your 
frailty. Remember that Jesus our Lord loves 
to dwell w T ithin a quiet heart, and to come to 
those who are at peace w T ith themselves ; rest- 
lessness and anxiety hinder our seeing Him, 
even when He is beside us and speaking to us. 

Pere Hyacinthe Besson. 



Sutre ii 



163 



Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt 
revive me. — Ps. cxxxviii. 7. 

IT is very helpful to make a habit of offering, 
morning by morning, the troubles of the day 
just beginning to our dear Lord, accepting 
His will in all things, especially in all little 
personal trials and vexations. Some persons 
have found great benefit from making, when 
first they wake, the act taught to Madame de 
Chantal by St. Francis de Sales, accepting 
" all things tolerable and intolerable " for love 
of Christ; then at midday, a moment's inward 
search to see whether there has been any vol- 
untary slackening of submission, any deliber- 
ate opposition to God's will, any hesitation in 
resisting the distaste or fretfulness, the impatience 
or discouragement we are tempted to feel when 
things go contrary to our own will and likings, 
making a fresh resolution to go on heartily \ 
and, at night, a quick review of the day's failures 
for which to ask pardon, and strength to go on 
better anew. Some such habit as this is a great 
check to that terrible hindrance of the spiritual 
life which, terrible though it be, is so apt to steal 
upon many good and earnest souls, — a com- 
plaining, grumbling, self-pitying spirit. 

H. L. Sidney Lear. 



164 



Stmt 12 



That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. 
— Eph. iii. 17. 

Christ in you, the hope of glory. — Col. i. 27. 

Enter my opening heart 5 
Fill it with love and peace and light from neaven j 
Give me Thyself — for all in Thee is given 5 

Come — never to depart. 

Thomas William Webb. 

WHEREVER thou goest, whatever thou 
dost at home, or abroad, in the field, or 
at church, do all in a desire of union 
with Christ, in imitation of His tempers and 
inclinations, and look upon all as nothing, but 
that which exercises, and increases the spirit and 
life of Christ in thy soul. From morning to 
night keep Jesus in thy heart, long for nothing, 
desire nothing, hope for nothing but to have all 
that is within thee changed into the spirit and tem- 
per of the holy Jesus. This new birth in Christ, 
thus firmly believed and continually desired, 
will do everything that thou wantest to have 
done in thee, it will dry up all the springs of 
vice, stop all the workings of evil in thy nature, 
it will bring all that is good into thee, it will 
open all the gospel within thee, and thou wilt 
know what it is to be taught of God. 

William Law. 



autre 13 l6 5 



The Lord God is a sun and shield : the Lord will 
give grace and glory ; no good thing will He with- 
hold from them that walk uprightly. — Ps. Ixxxiv. 1 1 . 

Just to trust Him, this is all ! 

Then the day will surely be 
Peaceful, whatsoe'er befall, 

Bright and blessed, calm and free. 

Frances R. Havergal. 

WHAT we should do is really, very often, 
to be still. And if we want something 
to make us more active and energetic, 
watchful and holy, I know but one thought, that 
is faith, — faith producing love. More trust 
and confidence and joy in God would be the 
secret — the only true or successful secret — of 
more goodness. And this should come quietly 
and calmly, not in great effort; this kingdom 
of God has come not with observation. Rest 
and quiet growth are what you want. 

James 'Hinton. 

Open wide every avenue of your being to 
receive the blessed influences your Divine 
Husbandman may bring to bear upon you. 
Bask in the sunshine of His love. Drink in of 
the waters of His goodness. Keep your face 
upturned to Him. You need make no efforts 
to grow. But let your efforts instead be all con- 
centrated on this, that you abide in the Vine. 

Hannah Whitall Smith. 



i66 



$\ttxc 14 



This day is salvation come to this house. — Luke 
xix. 9. 

From this day will I bless you. — Hag. ii. 19. 

Every day is a fresh beginning ; 

Listen, my soul, to the glad refrain, 

And spite of old sorrow and older sinning, 
And puzzles forecasted and possible pain, 
Take heart with the day, and begin again. 

Susan Coolidge. 

EVERY temptation to evil temper which can 
assail us to-day will be an opportunity to 
decide the question whether we shall sain 
the calmness and the rest of Christ, or whether we 
shall be tossed by the restlessness and agitation 
of the world. Nay, the very vicissitudes of the 
seasons, day and night, heat and cold, affecting 
us variably, and producing exhilaration or depres- 
sion, are so contrived as to conduce towards the 
being which we become, and decide whether we 
shall be master of ourselves, or whether we shall 
be swept at the mercy of accident and circum- 
stance, miserably susceptible of merelv outward 
influences. F. W. Robertson. 

Why wilt thou defer thy good purpose from 
day to day ? Arise, and begin in this very 
instant, and say, " Now is the time to be doing; 
now is the time to be striving; now is the fit 
time to amend myself/ 3 Unless thou dost earn- 
estly force thyself, thou shalt never get the victory 
over sm - Thomas a Kempis. 



Sutte 15 167 



Lying lips are abomination to the Lord, but they 
that deal truly are His delight. — Prov. xii. 22. 

Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man 
truth with his neighbor ; for we are members one of 
another, — Eph. iv. 25. 

IT seems to me, that the shortest way to check 
the darker forms of deceit is to set watch 
more scrupulous against those which have 
mingled, unregarded and unchastised, with the 
current of our life. Do not let us lie at 
all. Do not think of one falsity as harmless, and 
another as slight, and another as unintended. 
Cast them all aside ; they may be light and 
accidental ; but they are an ugly soot from the 
smoke of the pit, for all that ; and it is better 
that our hearts should be swept clean of them, 
without over care as to which is largest or 
blackest. Speaking truth is like writing fair, 
and comes only by practice ; it is less a matter 
of will than of habit, and I doubt if any occasion 
can be trivial which permits the practice and 
formation of such a habit. 

John Ruskin. 

If you tell the truth, you have infinite power 
supporting you ; but if not, you have infinite power 
against you, 

Charles George Gordon. 



t68 $une 16 



Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of 
my pilgrimage. — Ps. cxix. 54. 

My God shall supply all your need according to 
His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. — Phil. iv. 1 9. 

How must the pilgrim's load be borne ? 
With staggering limbs and look forlorn ? 
His Guide chose all that load within 5 
There 's need of everything but sin. 

So, trusting Him whose love He knows, 
Singing along the road he goes 5 
And nightly of his burden makes 
A pillow, till the morning breaks. 

Lucy Larcom. 

THEY live contented with what they have, 
whether it be little or much, because 
they know that they receive as much as 
is profitable for them ; little, if, little be profit- 
able, and much, if much be profitable ; and that 
they cannot tell what is profitable for them, but 
the Lord only can, who has an eternal end in 
view in all things which He provides. 

Emanuel Swedenborg. 

I hope you will learn, what I am always 
hoping to learn, to rejoice in God continually, 
knowing that He is really ordering all your cir- 
cumstances to the one end of making you a 
partaker of His own goodness, and bringing 
you within His own sympathy. 

Thomas Erskine, 



$um 17 169 



None of them that trust in Him shall be desolate, 
— Ps. xxxiv. 22. 

That ye sorrow not, even as others who have no 
hope. — 1 Thess. iv. 13. 

Are the consolations of God too small for thee ? — 
Job xv. 1 1 (R. V.). 

What shall make trouble ? Not the holy thought 

Of the departed 5 that will be a part 
Of those undying things His peace hath wrought 

Into a world of beauty in the heart. 

Sarah J. Williams. 

SHE spoke of those who had walked with 
her long ago in her garden, and for whose 
sake, now that they had all gone into the 
world of light, every flower was doubly dear. 
Would it be a true proof of loyalty to them if 
she lived gloomily or despondently because they 
were away ? She spoke of the duty of being 
ready to welcome happiness as well as to endure 
pain, and of the strength that endurance wins 
by being grateful for small daily joys, like the 
evening light, and the smell of roses, and the 
singing of birds. She spoke of the faith that 
rests on the Unseen Wisdom and Love like a 
child on its mother's breast, and the melting 
away of doubts in the warmth of an effort to 
do some good in the world. 

Henry Van Dyke. 



17° 3>tme 18 



That they might be called trees of righteousness, 
the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified. 
— Isa. lxi. 3. 

For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you 
abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ. — 2 Pet. i. 11. 

HAST thou a sense of the way to the 
Father ? Then be careful that thy spirit 
daily bow before Him, that He would 
continue His mercy to thee; making thy way 
more and more clear before thee every day ; — 
yea, and bearing thee up in all the exercises and 
trials which may befall thee, in every kind ; that, 
by His secret working in thy spirit, and helping 
thee with a little help from time to time, thou 
mayest still be advancing nearer and nearer 
towards the kingdom ; until thou find the Lord 
God administer an entrance unto thee thereinto, 
and give thee an inheritance of life, joy, right- 
eousness, and peace therein ; which is strength 
unto the soul against sin and death. 

Isaac Peningtox. 

Probably the greatest result of the life of 
prayer is an unconscious but steady growth into 
the knowledge of the mind of God and into con- 
formity with His will ; for after all prayer is not 
so much the means whereby God's will is bent 
to man's desires, as it is that whereby man's will 
is bent to God's desires. Charles H. Brent. 



3>xtm 19 



171 



That which I see not teach Thou me : if I have 
done iniquity, I will do it no more. — Job xxxiv. 32. 

He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk 
in His paths. — Is A. ii. 3. 

Yes, take my heart, and in it rule, 

Direct it as it pleaseth Thee ; 
I will be silent in Thy school, 

And learn whate'er Thou teachest me. 

Gerhard Tersteegen. 

PEOPLE cannot become perfect by dint of 
hearing or reading about perfection. The 
chief thing is "not to listen to yourself, but 
silently to listen to God. Talk little and do 
much, without caring to be seen. God will 
teach you more than all the most experienced 
persons or the most spiritual books can do. 
You already know a great deal more than you 
practise. You do not need the acquirement of 
fresh knowledge half so much as to put in 
practice that which you already possess. 

Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 

To speak with the tongues of men or angels 
on religious matters, is a much less thing than 
to know how to stay the mind upon God, and 
abide with Him in the closet of our hearts, 
observing, loving, adoring, and obeying His holy 
power within us. 

William Law. 



172 Attire 20 



Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly 
love. — Rom. xii. 10. 

Love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous. — 
i Peter tii. 8. 

LET your religion make you more consid- 
erate, more loving and attractive, more 
able to think of and enter into the pleasure 
and interests of others. Arthur C. A. Hall. 

Love one another in spite of your differences, 
in spite of your faults. Love one another, 
and make the best of one another, as He 
loved us, who, for the sake of saving what 
was good in the human soul, forgot, forgave, 
put out of sight what was bad — who saw and 
loved what was good even in the publican 
Zaccheus, even in the penitent Magdalen, even 
in the expiring malefactor, even in the heretical 
Samaritan, even in the Pharisee Nicodemus, 
even in the heathen soldier, even in the outcast 
Canaanite. It is very easy to fix our attention 
only on the weak points of those around us, to 
magnify them, to irritate them, to aggravate 
them j and, by so doing, we can make the 
burden of life unendurable, and can destroy 
our own and others 5 happiness and usefulness 
wherever we go. But this was not the love 
wherewith Christ loved us; this is not the new 
love wherewith we are to love one another. 

Arthur P. Stanley. 



%um 21 173 



That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, 
that thou may est live. — Deut. xvi. 20. 

This day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee 
to do these statutes and judgments : thou shalt 
therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and 
with all thy soul. — Deut. xxvi. 16. 

NEVER pass by or palter with the clear 
voice of conscience, with the plain com- 
mand of duty ; never let it be doubtful 
to your own soul whether you belong to the 
right side or wrong, whether you are a true sol- 
dier or a false traitor. Never deliberate about 
what is clearly wrong, and try to persuade your- 
self that it is not. 

Frederick Temple. 

The first resolve of one who gives himself 
wholly to God must be never to give way delib- 
erately to any fault whatever ; never to act in 
defiance of conscience, never to refuse anything 
God requires, never to say of anything, It is too 
small for God to heed. Such a resolution as 
this is an essential foundation in the spiritual 
life. I do not mean but that in spite of it we 
shall fall into inadvertencies, infirmities, errors ; 
but we shall rise up and go on anew from such 
faults — because they are involuntary, the will 
has not consented to them. 

Jean Nicolas Grou. 



174 3>U\XC 22 



Be not therefore anxious for the morrow, — 
Matt. vi. 34 (R. V.;. 

/ ivill not fail thee, nor forsake thee ; be strong and 
of a good courage. — Josh. i. 5, 6. 

/ have laid help upon one that is mighty. — Ps. 
lxxxix. 19. 

Thou hast Thy help upon the mighty laid 5 
In Him I trust, nor know to want or fear, 
But ever onward walk, secure from sin, 
For He has conquered every foe within. 

Jones Very. 

WHY should we, then, burden ourselves 
with superfluous cares, and fatigue and 
weary ourselves in the multiplicity of 
our ways ? Let us rest in peace. God Him- 
self inviteth us to cast our cares, our anxieties 
upon Him. 

Madame Guyon. 

If we may take one test or sign by which to 
judge of advance in the spiritual life, it would 
be this, — whether more and more calmness is 
being maintained in the midst of all the disturb- 
ances and troubles which are wont to come, 
which may ever be looked for in some form or 
other, — whether there be peacefulness of mind, 
and order of thought in the midst of all that 
once too much distracted and agitated the soul. 

T. T. Carter. 



$>um 23 175 



Behold the fowls of the air . . . consider the 
lilies of the field. — Matt. vi. 26, 28. 

I WAS in the act of kneeling down before 
the Lord my God, when a little bird came 
and perched near my window, and thus 
preached to me : " O thou grave man, look on 
me, and learn something, if not the deepest 
lesson, then a true one. Thy God made me, 
and the like of me ; and, if thou canst conceive 
it, loves me and cares for me. Thou studiest 
Him in great problems, which oppress and con- 
found thee : thou losest sight of one half of His 
ways. Learn to see thy God not in great mys- 
teries only, but in me also. His burden on 
me is light, His yoke on me is easy ; but thou 
makest burdens and yokes for thyself which are 
very grievous to be borne. Things deep as Hell 
and high as Heaven thou considerest overmuch; 
but thou dost not c consider the lilies' sufficiently. 
If thou couldst be as a lily before God, for at 
least one hour in the twenty-four, it would do 
thee good : I mean, if thou couldst cease to will 
and to think, and be only. Consider, the lily is 
as really from God as thou art, and is a figure 
of something in Him, — the like of which 
should also be in thee. Thou longest to grow, 
but the lily grows without longing ; yes, without 
even thinking or willing, grows and is beautiful 
both to God and man." John Pulsford. 



176 &tmt 24 



In God I will praise His word, in God I have 
put my trust 1 I will not fear what flesh can do 
unto me. — Ps. lvi. 4. 

DO not fear circumstances. They cannot 
hurt us, if we hold fast by God and use 
them as the voices and ministries of His 
will. Trust Him about every one and every- 
thing, for all times and all needs, earth and 
heaven, friends and children, the conquest of 
sin, the growth of holiness, the cross that chafes, 
the grace that stirs. 

Anthony W. Thorold. 

I find that it is not the circumstances in which 
we are placed, but the spirit in which we meet 
them, that constitutes our comfort ; and that 
this may be undisturbed, if we seek for and 
cherish a feeling of quiet submission, whatever 
may be the privations allotted us. 

Elizabeth T. King. 

Wheresoever God may lead you, there you 
will find Himself, in the most harassing business, 
as in the most tranquil prayer. 

Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 



Stmt 25 177 



Teach me Thy way, O Lord ; I will walk in 
Thy truth ; unite my heart to fear Thy name. — 
Ps. lxxxvi. 11. 

If thou but suffer God to guide thee, 
And hope in Him through all thy ways, 

He ? 11 give thee strength, whate'er betide thee, 
And bear thee through the evil days 5 

Who trusts in God's unchanging love, 

Builds on the rock that nought can move. 

Georg Neumark. 

IF we seek, indeed, that all our ways mav be 
His ways, if we resolve and pray that we 
will keep to the path of obedience, of trust, 
of duty ; then we know that His angels are in 
charge of us, and that they can bear us nowhere 
beyond our Father's eye, His hand, His care. 
Then we know that all worlds are His, all souls 
are His ; we can trust to Him those He has 
taken from us, and know that when He has 
called them to pass out of our sight, He is with 
them still, to keep them in all their ways, even 
in that hidden path over which the dark shadow 
lies, until the day break and the shadows flee 
away. 

John Ellerton. 

1 2 



178 $>unc 26 



In the multitude of my thoughts within ?ne, Thy 
comforts delight my soul. — Ps. xciv. ig. 

Oh, listen then, Most Pitiful ! 

To Thy poor creature's heart $ 
It blesses Thee that Thou art God, 

That Thou art what Thou art ! 

Frederick W, Faber. 

WHAT the particular thoughts or tempta- 
tions are that disquiet you, I know not ; 
but, whatsoever they are, look above 
them, and labor to fix vour eve on that infinite 
goodness, which never faileth them that, by faith, 
do absolutely rely and rest upon it ; and patiently 
wait upon Him, who hath pronounced them all, 
without exception, blessed that do so. 

Robert Leighton. 

Thoughts that disturb and trouble us seldom 
come from God. It is generally best to put 
them away, and throw ourself, with increased 
trust in Him and mistrust of self, at His feet. 
And never forget, amid whatever may befall 
you, — dryness, coldness, desolation, and disap- 
pointment, consciousness of many faults, and 
of great weakness, and want of faith, — that 
where love is, there God is sure to be. He 
never yet has suffered any soul to fall wholly 
from Him which, amid all its frailties and falls, 
clings to Him in love. 

H. L. Sidney Lear. 



$>um 27 179 



On whatsoever errand I shall send thee thou 
shalt go ; and whatsoever I shall command thee thou 
shalt speak, — Jer. i. 7 (R. V. margin). 

There is no change of time and place with Thee 5 
Where'er I go, 'tis still with me the same ; 

Within Thy presence I rejoice to be, 

And always hallow Thy most holy name. 

Jones Very. 

BE assured of this, you do not know God in 
truth, and have no true peace, if you are 
depending upon times and places. Re- 
member that whatever God gives you to do, 
from moment to moment, that is the very best 
thing you could possibly be doing, and you little 
know where and when the Lord will meet you. 
He who does not seek and find God everywhere, 
and in everything, finds Him nowhere and in 
nothing. And He who is not at the Lord's 
service in everything, is at His service in 
nothing. John Tauler. 

God must be sought and seen in His provi- 
dences ; it is not our actions in themselves con- 
sidered which please Him, but the spirit in which 
they are done, more especially the constant 
ready obedience to every discovery of His will, 
even in the minutest things, and with such a 
suppleness and flexibility of mind as not to 
adhere to anything, but to turn and move in 
any direction where He shall call. 

Madame Guyon. 



tSo 3>UITC 28 



Thou wilt show me the path of lf e; i n Thy 
presence is fulness of joy ; at Thy right hand there 
are pleasures for evermore. — Ps. xvi. 11. 

Lord, it is not life to live, 

If Thy presence Thou deny ; 
Lord, if Thou Thy presence give, 

1 T is no longer death to die. 
Source and giver of repose, 
Singly from Thy smile it flows ; 
Peace and happiness are Thine 5 
Mine they are, if Thou art mine. 

A. M. TOPLADY. 

WE live from day to day, as it were, by 
chance ; and forget that human life it- 
self is as much an Art, governed bv its 
own rules and precepts of perfection, as the most 
complicated profession by which that life is 
maintained or adorned. 

Wm. Archer Butler. 

The art of life consists in taking each event 
which befalls us with a contented mind, con- 
fident of good. This makes us grow younger 
as we grow older, for youth and joy come from 
the soul to the body more than from the bodv 
to the soul. With this method and art and 
temper of life, we live, though we mav be dying. 
We rejoice always, though in the midst of sor- 
rows ; and possess all things, though destitute 
of everything. 

James Freeman Clarke. 



%>ttm 29 181 



Let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not 
tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them. — - 
Deut. xx. 3. 

Son of the living God ! Oh, call us 

Once and again to follow Thee, 
And give us strength, whate 1 er befall us, 

Thy true disciples still to be. 

And if our coward hearts deny Thee, 
In inmost thought, or deed, or word, 

Let not our hardness still defy Thee, 
But with a look subdue us, Lord. 

Henry A. Martin. 

HALF our difficulty in doing anything 
worthy of our high calling, is the shrink- 
ing anticipation of its possible after-con- 
sequences. But if Peter had tarried, and cast 
up all that was to come, the poverty, and wan- 
dering, and solitude, and lonely old age, the 
outcast life, and chance of a fearful death, it 
may be he would have been neither an Apostle 
nor a Christian. Henry Edward Manning. 

Some men will follow Christ on certain con- 
ditions — if He will not lead them through rough 
roads — if He will not enjoin them any painful 
tasks — if the sun and w 7 ind do not annoy them 
— if He will remit a part of His plan and order. 
But the true Christian, who has the spirit of 
Jesus, will say, as Ruth said to Naomi, " Whither 
thou goest I will go," whatever difficulties and 
dangers may be in the way. Richard Cecil. 



1 82 3nmc 30 



We know that ive have passed from death unto 
life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth 
not his brother abideth in death. — 1 John iii. 14. 

For who has aught to love and loves aright, 
Will never in the darkest strait despair, 

For out of love exhales a living light, 

The light of love, that spends itself in prayer. 

Hartley Coleridge. 

LOVE is life, and lovelessness is death. 
As the grace of God changes a man's 
heart and cleanses and sanctifies him, this 
is the great evidence of the change, this is the 
great difference which it makes ; that he begins 
to grow in love, to lav aside self-seeking, and to 
live for others — and so he mav know that 
he has passed from death unto life. He mav 
know it even here and now — ves, that great 
discovery of love, that learning to live for 
others and finding the grace and gentleness that 
God is keeping up all over the world — even 
now it is the way from death to life. Even 
now it changes homes, it lightens every burden, 
it brings peace and gladness into the hardest 
days ; it alters even the tone of a man's voice 
and the very look of his face. But all this, 
blessed and surpassing as it is, far above all else 
in the world, still is but the beginning. For 
that life into which we pass, as God's dear 
grace of love comes in us and about us, is the 
very life of heaven. Franxis Paget. 



Sttlg I 183 



For Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy 
work : I will triumph in the works of Thy hands. — 
Ps. xcii. 4. 

Consider it 
(This outer world we tread on) as a harp, — 
A gracious instrument on whose fair strings 
We learn those airs we shall be set to play 
When mortal hours are ended. 

Jean Ingelow. 

EVERY year has been to me a softening 
of the impressible nature, and a clearing 
of the eye in all the fields of divine good- 
ness, quite irrespective of the hard, hot, choking 
work of the external world and its attacks. I 
feel more and more how all right spirit life is a 
gladness and a glory increasing ; how divine 
goodness is speaking in all tones that reach the 
heart with joy or sorrow, awe or ecstasy, every- 
where and in all things, if we can but hear it ; 
how completely the spirit within can be in com- 
munion with light, independent of external 
circumstances; and yet how external circum- 
stances and creation are the medium through 
which God speaks. And if it is indeed a speech 
of God, an ever present incarnation of the divine 
mind, then the power of reading the divine mind 
can only exist for those who are in accordance 
with it. 

Edward Thring. 



1 84 Sttlg 2 



In this was manifested the love of God toward us, 
because that God sent His only begotten Son into the 
world, that we might live through Him. — I John 
iv. 9. 



Thy love to me, O God, 

Not mine, O Lord, to Thee, 
Can rid me of this dark unrest, 

And set my spirit free. 

HORATIUS BONAR. 




HE spirit of prayer is a pressing forth of 



the soul out of this earthly life, it is a 



stretching with all its desire after the life 
of God, it is a leaving, as far as it can, all its 
own spirit, to receive a spirit from above, to be 
one life, one love, one spirit with Christ in God. 
For the love which God bears to the soul, His 
eternal, never-ceasing desire to enter into it, and 
to dwell in it, stays no longer than till the door 
of the heart opens for Him. For nothing does, 
or can keep God out of the soul, or hinder His 
holy union with it, but the desire of the heart 
turned from Him. William Law. 

Holiness is the beauty of the Lord God of 
hosts. Thou canst not separate the one from 
the other. To have it, thou must have Him. 
Nor will it be hard to obtain either; for He 
longs to enter into thy being. Thy longing is 
the faint response of thy heart to His call. 



F. B. Meyer. 



Stttg 3 185 



Continue in prayer, and watch in the same. — 
Col. iv. 2. 

But if distractions manifold prevail, 
And if in this we must confess we fail, 
Grant us to keep at least a prompt desire, 
Continual readiness for prayer and praise, 
An altar heaped and waiting to take fire 
With the least spark, and leap into a blaze. 

Richard Chenevix Trench. 

WHEN the set time comes round for 
prayer, it may be, and often is, the case 
that the mind is depressed, and finds it 
a hard struggle to raise itself up to communion 
with God. Your purpose is to hold com- 
munion with the Infinite Wisdom and Infinite 
Love ; can you do this, or even attempt this, 
without coming away from the exercise brighter, 
calmer, happier, stronger against evil? Make a 
vigorous effort to throw your whole soul into 
some very short petition, and the spirit of inert- 
ness and heaviness shall be exorcised. But if 
not, and thy mind be dry to the end, do not dis- 
quiet thyself. If only thou makest a sincere 
effort to draw near to God, all shall be well. 
He sees that thou hast a will to pray, and 
accounts the will for the deed. 

Edward Meyrick Goulburx. 

Pray hardest when it is hardest to pray. 

Charles H. Brent. 



i86 



3htlt> 4 



tfwy man be in Christ, he is a new creature ; 
old things are passed away ; behold, all things are 
become new. — 2 Cor. v. 17. 

His perfect peace has swept from sight 
The narrow bounds of time and space, 
And, looking up with still delight, 
We catch the glory of His face. 

Augusta Larned. 

IN every moment of our days, when once our 
hearts are yielded to His service, God is 
working in us and through us. Hitherto, 
perhaps, our little world has only been large 
enough to hold self and the present. But, grad- 
ually, through tender leadings and unfoldings, 
and, it may be, through pain and suffering, we 
come to learn life's lesson, — that it is God's 
world, not ours ; that our existence is not finished 
and rounded off here, but forms part of one vast 
scheme to which mind and heart and spirit 
expand and grow, while all the horizon round 
them grows and expands too, until it touches 
the shore of the illimitable future, and we 
become conscious that earth and heaven are not 
so far separated but that the first is but the 
vestibule of the second, — imperfect, cloudy, 
full of broken fragments, but still part of the 
same Temple of God as that to which we shall 
pass in by and by. 

H. Bowman. 



$ttl£ 5 187 



All things are possible to him that believeth. — 
Mark ix. 23. 

My grace is sufficient for thee ; for my strength is 
made perfect in weakness. — 2 Cor. xii. 9. 

IT is possible, I dare to say, for those who 
will indeed draw on their Lord's power for 
deliverance and victory, to live a life in 
which His promises are taken as they stand, 
and found to be true. It is possible to cast 
every care on Him, daily, and to be at peace 
amidst the pressure. It is possible to see the 
will of God in everything, and to find it, as one 
has said, no longer a sigh, but a song. It is 
possible, in the world of inner act and motion, 
to put away, to get put away, all bitterness, 
and wrath, and anger, and evil speaking, daily 
and hourly. It is possible, by unreserved resort 
to divine power, under divine conditions, to 
become strongest, through and through, at our 
weakest point 5 to find the thing which yesterday 
upset all our obligations to patience, or to purity, 
or to humility, an occasion to-day, through Him 
who loveth us, and worketh in us, for a joyful 
consent to His will, and a delightful sense of 
His presence and sin-annulling power. These 
are things divinely possible. 

Handley C. G. Moule. 



1 88 



attifi 6 



But we all, with open face, beholdirjg as in a glass 
the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same 
una ge from glory to glory. — 2 Cor. iii. 18. 

Thy life in me be shown ! 
Lord ! I would henceforth seek 

To think and speak 
Thv thoughts, Thy words alone $ 

No more my own. 

Frances R. Havergal. 

NOTHING short of the Lire of the Eter- 
nal Son of God — the Holiness, the 
Puritv of God, is the standard at which 
we are to aim \ thai is to be reproduced in our 
circumstances \ the Divine Perfections are to be 
translated, reproduced in mr life, our home, our 
trials, our difficulties, our age of the world. Let 
us ask ourselves, What is the special likeness of 
Christ that He would reproduce in me ? What 
are the features of His Life that He calls me to 
imitate ? What pattern would He set before me 
in my work, mv circumstances, my difficulties ? 
What are the inspirations of grace that He would 
urge me to cultivate and cherish ? 

Arthur C. A. Hall. 

The Christian life must be in its own degree 
something like the Master's own life, luminous 
with His hope, and surrounded by a bracing at- 
mosphere which uplifts all who even touch its 
outer fringe. Hugh Black. 



Sttlt) 7 189 



And, whatsoever xe do, do it heartily, as to the 
Lord, and not unto men. — Col. iii. 23. 

IF you love Him as I want you to do, you 
will offer Him the whole use of your dav, 
as you open Your eYes to the light of each 
morning, to be spent in active sen'ice or silent 
suffering, according to His good pleasure. You 
will not select the most agreeable task, but His 
task, whateYer it may be ; you will not disdain 
humble service, or be ambitious for distinguished 
service ; you will lie, like a straw, on the cur- 
rent of His will, to be swept away and be 
forgotten, if it pleases Him, or to be caught up 
by His mightv hand and transformed therebv 
into a thunderbolt. 

Elizabeth Prextiss. 

Let us prav Him, therefore, to shed abroad 
in us the mind that was in Christ; that we may 
offer up ourselves to be disposed of as He sees 
best, whether for joy or sorrow ; to be slighted, 
or esteemed ; to have manv friends, or to dwell 
in a lonefv home ; to be passed by, or called to 
serve Him and His kingdom in our own land, 
or among people of a strange tongue ; to be, to 
go, to do, to suffer even as He wills, even as 
He ordains, even as Christ endured, "who, 
through the Eternal Spirit, offered Himself with- 
out spot to God." 

Henry Edward Manning, 



i9° Sttlp 8 



Behold, I will reveal unto them the abundance of 
peace and truth. — JeR. xxxiii. 6. 

Glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh 
good. — Rom. ii. io. 

TRUE peace is when the soul revolves 
around its centre, Almighty God, craving 
for nothing but what God continually 
supplies, its passions subdued to itself, itself 
lovingly loyal to God, in harmony with its God 
and His laws. God made the soul for Himself, 
to have its bliss in His infinite, unchanging, ex- 
haustless love. The soul then " must needs be 
restless, until it repose in Him." Everything, 
whether it belongs to the keenest intellect, or 
the lowest senses, is an idol if the soul rests in 
it, apart from God. The soul's craving for 
peace is its natural yearning for its End, its 
Maker and its God. Since the soul is large 
enough to contain the infinite God, nothing less 
than Himself can satisfy or fill it. 

E. B. Pusey. 

With those who have made ready to receive 
Him in peaceful trust, He will come and dwell 
in love and joy ; and great is their rest and 
blessedness. 

Abbe Guillore. 



3htXi? 9 191 



And we have known and believed the love that 
God hath to us. God is love ; and he that dwelleth 
in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. — 1 John 
iv. 16. 

As flame streams upward, so my longing thought 

Flies up with Thee, 
Thou God and Saviour, who hast truly wrought 
Life out of death, and to us, loving, brought 
A fresh, new world 5 and in Thy sweet chains caught, 

And made us free ! 

Maurice Francis Egan. 

WHAT a blessed and glorious thing human 
existence would be, if we fully realized 
that the infinitely wise and infinitely 
powerful God loves each one of us, with an 
intensity infinitely beyond what the most fervid 
human spirit ever felt towards another, and with 
a concentration as if He had none else to think 
of! And this love has brought us into being, 
just that we might be taught to enter into full 
sympathy with Him, receiving His, — giving 
our own — thus entering into the joy of our 
Lord. This is the hope — the sure and cer- 
tain hope — set before us, — sure and certain, 
— for " the mountains shall depart, and the hills 
be removed ; but my kindness shall not depart 
from thee, neither shall the covenant of my 
peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath 
mercy on thee." 

Thomas Erskine. 



192 



3>ttii> 10 



Most gladly, therefore^ will I rather glory in my 
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon 
me, — 2 Cor. xii. 9. 

The Lord stood with me, and strengthened me. 
— 2 Tim. iv. 17. 

To His own the Saviour giveth 

Daily strength 5 
To each troubled soul that liveth, 

Peace at length. 

Karl Rudolph Hagenbach. 

REMEMBER that your work comes only 
moment by moment, and as surely as God 
calls you to work, He gives the strength 
to do it. Do not think in the morning, " How 
shall I go through this day ? I have such-and- 
such work to do, and persons to see, and I 
have not strength for it." No, you have not, 
for you do not need it. Each moment, as you 
need it, the strength will come, only do not look 
forward an hour ; circumstances may be very 
different from what you expect. At any rate, 
you will be borne through each needful and 
right thing u on eagles' wings." Do not worry 
yourself with misgivings ; take each thing 
quietly. 

Priscilla Maurice. 

God does not demand impossibilities. 

St. Augustine. 



3Htl£ ii 193 



Do all things without murmurings and disputings. 
— Phil. ii. 14. 

He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like 
a city that is broken down, and without walls. — 
Prov. xxv. 28. 

Behold, the paths of life are ours, — we see 
Our blest inheritance where'er we tread $ 
Sorrow and danger our security, 
And disappointment lifting up our head. 

Anna L. Waring. 

ONE valuable way of practising self-control 
is in checking grumbling, and an unnec- 
essary display of vexation at petty incon- 
veniences. A workman has fulfilled his task 
imperfectly, some order is wrongly executed, 
some one keeps you waiting unreasonably ; 
people are careless or forgetful, or do what they 
have in hand badly. Try not to be disturbed ; 
be just, and show the persons to blame where 
they are wrong, even (if it be needful) make 
them do the thing over again properly ; but re- 
frain from diffuse or vehement expressions of 
displeasure. A naturally quick, impetuous per- 
son will find that to cultivate a calm external 
habit is a great help towards gaining the inward 
even spirit he needs. H. L. Sidney Lear. 

A repining life is a lingering death. 

Benjamin Whichcote. 

*3 



i94 3mli) 12 



Withhold not good from them to whom it is due 
•when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say 
not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, and to- 
morrow I will give ; when thou hast it by thee. — 
Prov. iii. 27, 28. 

DO not only take occasions of doing good 
when they are thrust upon you; but 
study how to do all the good you can, as 
those " that are zealous of good works." Zeal 
of good works will make you plot and contrive 
for them; consult and ask advice for them; it 
will make you glad when you meet with a hope- 
ful opportunity; it will make you do it largely, 
and not sparingly, and bv the halves; it will 
make you do it speedily, without unwilling back- 
wardness and delay ; it will make you do it 
constantly to your lives' end. It will make you 
labor in it as your trade, and not only consent 
that others do good at your charge. It will 
make you glad, when good is done, and not to 
grudge at what it cost you. In a word, it will 
make your neighbors to be to you as yourselves, 
and the pleasing of God to be above yourselves, 
and therefore to be as glad to do good as to 
receive it. 

Richard Baxter. 



SttXfi 13 195 



The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord ; 
and He delighteth in his way, — Ps. xxxvii. 23. 

So her life was full of sunshine, for in toiling for the Lord 
She had found the hidden sweetness that in common things 
lies stored j 

He has strewn the earth with flowers, and each eye their 

brightness sees ; 
But He filled their cups with honey for His humble work- 
ing bees. Francesca Alexander. 

THE occupations of every clay seem often 
trifling, we may do them without think- 
ing as ordinary things, yet they are the 
scenes of aur appointed lot — appointed by God 
for you and me. The ordering, the application 
of these ordinary occupations, is the appointing 
of the Divine purpose ; it is for ourselves to 
carry them out. And secretly our character 
forms according as we handle them. Give thy 
heart to God Eternal, since thou art thyself 
eternal. Join thy heart to what He has given 
thee to do. join thy heart to His teaching, 
and thou becomest of a will like to His own 
will. Nothing comes by pure accident, not even 
the interruptions in our busy day. And such as 
follow on to know God's will see in all events 
what may lead to good, and so trust grows into 
a habit, as habit grows by perpetual use, till every 
circumstance may be seen to be but a fresh 
manifestation of the will of God working itself 
out in u s. T. T. Carter. 



196 Sttlg 14 



Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and 
not one of them is forgotten before God, — Luke 
xii. 6. 

Fear ye not, therefore, ye are of more value than 
many sparrows. — Matt. x. 31. 

The trees of the Lord are full of sap ; the cedars 
of Lebanon which He hath planted; where the 
birds make their nests ; as for the stork, the fir 
trees are her house. — Ps. civ. 16, 17. 

IT was a beautiful sight to see the herons 
come home, rising into the golden sunlight 
above the hills I could not tell from whence, 
and sailing on the glorious arches of their wings, 
on and on — always alone, and each as he came 
down with outstretched neck and pendent legs 
ready to settle, taking one last sweep down, 
then up, on to the summit of the tall Scotch fir, 
to take a survey of the realm, and, as another 
approached, plunging into the thick heads of 
lower trees with a loud good-night to his neigh- 
bors, and to all the fair land and water round 
about him, and a Deo Gratias for all his day's 
happiness, pleasant unto the ear of his dear God, 
if not consciously addressed to Him. 
My Heavenly Father careth for them, 
i am of more value than many herons. 

Edward White Benson. 



Sttlg 15 



197 



In Thy presence is fulness of joy. — Ps. xvi. 1 1. 
My presence shall go with thee, and I will give 
thee rest. — Ex. xxxiii. 14. 

O rest of rests ! O peace serene, eternal ! 

Thou ever livest, and Thou changest never ; 
And in the secret of Thy presence dwelleth 

Fulness of joy, for ever and for ever. 

Harriet Beecher Stowe. 

I HAVE no home, until I am in the realized 
presence of God. This holy presence is 
my inward home, and, until I experience it, 
I am a homeless wanderer, a straying sheep in a 
waste howling wilderness. Anonymous, 1841. 

Heaven consists in nothing else than walkings 
abiding, resting in the Divine Presence. There are 
souls who enter into this heaven before leaving 
the body. If thou believest that thy God, found, 
felt, and rested in, is heaven, why not, under the 
gracious help which He vouchsafes to thee in 
His Son, begin at once to discipline arid qualify thy 
soul for this heaven ? If this be thy chief good, 
why turn away from it, as though it were a 
thing not to be desired ? If it be the very end 
of thy being, the only right, good, and blessed 
end, why postpone thy qualification for it, as 
though it were a bitter necessity r Suffer thy 
soul, so noble in its origin, to be withdrawn from 
dust, noise, multitudes, vain treasures, and vain 
pleasures, to find its sweetness and fulness in 
God. John Pulsford. 



3>ttXt) 16 



Art Thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, 
mine Holy One ? we shall not die. — Hab. i. I 2. 

My meditation of Him shall be sweet ; I will be 
glad in the Lord. — Ps. civ. 34. 

F 1 ^HE more our ideas about God are mul- 
1 tiplied, the more various our thoughts, 
and images, and recollections of things 
which have to do with Him, of course the more 
our minds and hearts are engrossed with Him, 
and so it becomes easier to live all dav in His 
sensible presence. And is not the practice of 
the presence of God one half of holiness? And 
so, wean- with work or foiled with disappoint- 
ment, when the dark night is closing in, bringing 
with it to our sick spirits a sense of imprison- 
ment, and when the dismal rain curtains us 
round, and we fret to be at libertv and at large, 
there is the very freedom of a sovereign to a 
soul traversing this boundless empire of God 
and Jesus, angels, saints, men, and the blameless 
creatures, and rejoicing in that never-ceasing 
sacrifice of praise which is rising up from every 
nook and corner of creation to the dear Majesty 
of our most loving God and Father ! 

Frederick Wm. Faber. 



Delight in the happiness of God. 

Lorenzo Scupoli. 



Sttlg 17 



Trust ye in the Lord for ever : for in the Lord 
"Jehovah is everlasting strength, — Isa. xxvi. 4. 

Come, children, let us go ! 

Our Father is our guide 5 
And when the way grows steep and dark, 
He journeys at our side. 

Our spirits He would cheer, 
The sunshine of His love 
Revives and helps us as we rove, 
Ah, blest our lot e'en here ! 

Gerhard Tersteegen. 

WE are living out these lives of ours too 
much apart from God. We toil on 
dismally, as if the making or the marring 
of our destinies rested wholly with ourselves. 
It is not so. We are not the lonely, orphaned 
creatures we let ourselves suppose ourselves to 
be. The earth, rolling on its way through space, 
does not go unattended. The A4aker and Con- 
troller of it is with it, and around it, and upon 
it. He is with us here and now. He knows 
us infinitely more thoroughly than we know our- 
selves. He loves us better than we have ever 
dared to believe could be possible. 

William R. Huntington. 

Some of us believe that God is all mighty, 
and may do all ; and that He is all wisdom, and 
can do all ; but that He is all love, and will do 
all, there we fail Mother Juliana. 



2oo 3>ttlt) 18 



For to-day the Lord will appear unto you. — Lev. 
ix. 4. 

Behold, jiow is the accepted tune ; behold, now is 
the day of salvation. — 2 Cor. vi. 2. 

DO not let your growth in holiness depend 
upon surrounding circumstances, but 
rather constrain those circumstances to 
minister to your growth. Beware of looking 
onward, or out of the present in any way, for 
the sanctification of your life. The only thing 
you can really control is the present — the ac- 
tual moment that is passing by. Sanctify that 
from hour to hour, and you sanctify your whole 
life ; but brood oyer the past, or project your- 
self into the future, and you will lose all. 'The 
little act of obedience, loye, self-restraint, meek- 
ness, patience, devotion, offered to you actually, 
is all you can do now, and if you neglect that to 
fret about something else at a distance, you lose 
your real opportunity of serving God. A 
moment's silence, w 7 hen some irritating words 
are said by another, may seem a very small 
thing; yet at that moment it is your one duty, 
your one way of serving and pleasing God, and 
it you break it, vou have lost your opportunity. 

H. L. Sidney Lear. 



Sttlg 19 201 



By love serve one another. For all the law is 
fulfilled in one word, even in this ; Thou shalt love 
thy neighbor as thyself — Gal. v. 13, 14. 

A MAN who habitually pleases himself will 
become continually more selfish and sor- 
did, even among the most noble and 
beautiful conditions which nature, history, or 
art can furnish ; and, on the other hand, any 
one who will try each day to live for the sake 
of others, will grow more and more gracious in 
thought and bearing, however dull and even 
squalid may be the outward circumstances of his 
soul's probation. 

Francis Paget. 

It is the habit of making sacrifices in small 
things that enables us for making them in great, 
when it is asked of us. Temper, love of pre- 
eminence, bodily indulgence, the quick retort, 
the sharp irony, — in checking these let us 
find our cross and carry it. Or, when the mo- 
ment comes for some really great service, the 
heart will be petrified for it, and the blinded 
eyes will not see the occasion of love. 

Anthony W. Thorold. 



202 



3mlt> 20 



Do Thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto 
Thee. — Judges x. 15. 

Dear Lord, whose mercy veileth all 
That may our coming days befall, 
Still hide from us the things to be, 
But rest our troubled hearts in Thee. 

Harriet McEwen Kimball. 

P^EACE of heart lies in perfect resignation 
± to the will of God. What you need is 
true simplicity, a certain calmness of spirit 
which comes from entire surrender to all that 
God wills, patience and toleration for your neigh- 
bor's faults, and a certain candor and childlike 
docility in acknowledging your own faults. The 
trouble you feel about so many things comes 
from your not accepting everything which may 
happen to you, with sufficient resignation to 
God. Put all things, then, in His hands, and 
offer them beforehand to Him in your heart, as 
a sacrifice. From the moment when you cease 
to want things to be according to your own 
judgment, and accept unconditionally whatever 
He sends, you will be free from all your uneasy 
retrospects and anxieties about your own con- 
cerns. 

Francois de la Mothe Fexelon. 



$ttl£ 21 203 



The Lord do that which seemeth Him good. — 
2 Sam. x. 12. 

The best will is our Father's will, 
And we may rest there calm and still 5 
Oh ! make it hour by hour thine own, 
And wish for nought but that alone 
Which pleases God. 

Paul Gerhardt. 

" t I ~AHY will be done." For instance, when 
you wish, and by every means endeavor, 
to be well, and yet remain ill, — then 
say, " Thy will be done." When you under- 
take something, and your undertaking does not 
succeed, say, u Thy will be done." When you 
do good to others, and they repay you with evil, 
say, u Thy will be done." Or when you would 
like to sleep, and are overtaken by sleeplessness, 
say, " Thy will be done." In general, do not 
become irritated when anything is not done in 
accordance with your will, but learn to submit 
in everything to the Will of the Heavenly 
Father. 

Father John. 

Try to make an instantaneous act of con- 
formity to God's Will, at everything which 
vexes you. 

Edward B. Pusey. 



3>tth> 22 



Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is 
the Lord's thy God, the earth also with all that 
therein is. — Deut. x. 14. 

Father, there is no change to live with Thee, 
-Save that in Christ I grow from day to day ; 
In each new word I hear, each thing I see, 
I but rejoicing hasten on my way. Jones Very. 

THE immediate result of the coming of 
these sood tidings of great joy to me 
was no outward change in anything, but 
an inward change of everything, making every- 
thing translucent with the light within and 
beyond. The sum of it all was always that the 
universe is full of God, and God is love. e 
are His, and all things are His ; therefore in 
Him all things are ours. In the home, in society, 
in nature, our beloved moors and woods, and 
rivers and glens and seas, there was the touch, 
the breath of God's living, real presence. 

Elizabeth Rundle Charles. 

He is so infinitely blessed, that every percep- 
tion of His blissful presence imparts a vital 
gladness to the heart. Every degree of approach 
to Him is, in the same proportion, a degree of 
happiness. And I often think that were He 
always present to our mind, as we are present 
to Him, there would be no pain, nor sense of 
misery. Susanna Wesley. 



Stole 23 205 



I will bring the blind by a way that they knew 
not ; I will lead them in paths that they have not 
known : I will make darkness light before them, and 
crooked things straight. These things will I do unto 
them, and not forsake them. — Isa. xlii. 16. 

When over dizzy heights we go, 

One soft hand blinds our eyes, 
The other leads us, safe and slow, 

O Love of God most wise ! 

Eliza Scudder. 

THE simple thought of a life which is to 
be the unfolding of a Divine plan is too 
beautiful, too captivating, to suffer one 
indifferent or heedless moment. Living in this 
manner, every turn of your experience will be 
a discovery to you of God, every change a token 
of His fatherly counsel. Whatever obscurity, 
darkness, trial, suffering, falls upon vou ; your 
defeats, losses, injuries ; your outward state, 
employment, relations ; what seems hard, un- 
accountable, severe, or, as nature might say, 
vexatious — all these you will see are parts or 
constitutive elements in God's beautiful and 
good plan for you, and, as such, are to be ac- 
cepted with a smile. Take your burdens, and 
troubles, and losses, and wrongs, if come they 
must and will, as your opportunities, knowing 
that God has girded you for greater things than 
these. Horace Bushnell. 



2o6 



Suit) 24 



Seek the Lord, and His strength : seek His face 
evermore. — Ps. cv. 4. 

O Jesus Christ, grow Thou in me, 

And all things else recede \ 
My heart be daily nearer Thee, 

From sin be daily freed. 

Make this poor self grow less and less, 

Be Thou my life and aim j 
Oh, make me daily, through Thy grace, 
More worthy of Thy name. 

J. C. Lavater. 

AS, on rising, we should hear Him saving 
to us, " Take this yoke upon thee, my 
child, to-day," " Bear this burden for me 
and with me to-day," so, before retiring to rest, 
and collecting our mind for our evening prayer, 
it were well to put these questions to our con- 
science, " Have I, in a single instance this day, 
denied myself either in temper or appetite, and 
so submitted mvself to the Saviour's yoke?" 
And again, " Have I, in a single instance, 
shown sympathy or considerateness for others, 
borne with their faults or infirmities of character, 
given time or taken trouble to help them, or be 
of use to them r " If so, I have gained ground ; 
I have made an advance in the mind of Christ 
to-dav, if it be only a single step. Let me 
thank God, and take courage. A single step is 
so much clear gain. 

Edward Meyrick Goulburn. 



$ttl2 25 



207 



But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love 
vjherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in 
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, — 
Eph. ii. 4, 5. 

Lord, to Thy call of me I bow, 

Obey like Abraham 5 
Thou lov'st me because Thou art Thou, 

And I am what I am. 

Doubt whispers, " thou art such a blot 

He cannot lo*ue poo?- thee.'*' 1 
If what I am He loveth not, 

He loves what I shall be. 

George Macdonald. 

WE may hate ourselves when we come to 
realize failings we have not recognized 
before, and feel that there are probably 
others which we do not vet see as clearly as 
other people see them, but this kind of im- 
patience for our perfection is not felt by those 
who love us, I am sure. It is one's greatest 
comfort to believe that it is not even felt by 
God. Just as a mother would not love her 
child the better for its being turned into a model 
of perfection at once, but does love it the more 
dearly every time it tries to be good, so I do 
hope and believe our Great Father does not 
wait for us to be good and wise to love us, but 
loves us, and loves to help us in the very thick 
of our struggles with folly and sin. 

Juliana H. Ewing. 



2o8 Suit) 26 



And He said to them all, If any man will come 
after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross 
daily, and follow me. — Luke ix. 23. 

We pray Thee, grant us strength to take 

Our daily cross, whatever it be, 
And gladly for Thine own dear sake 

In paths of pain to follow Thee. 

r W. W. How. 

THE more you accept daily crosses as daily 
bread, in peace and simplicity, the less 
they will injure your frail, delicate health; 
but forebodings and frettings would soon kill you. 

Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 

We speak of the crosses of daily life, and 
forget that our very language is a witness 
against us, how meekly we ought to bear them, 
in the blessed steps of our holy Lord ; how in 
« every cross and care," we ought not to acqui- 
esce simply, but to take them cheerfully, — not 
cheerfully only but joyfully ; yea, if they should 
even deserve the name of " tribulation," to "joy 
in tribulation" also, as seeing in them our 
Father's hand, our Saviour's cross. 

E. B. Pusey. 

Take kindly and heartsomely with His cross, 
who never vet slew a child with the cross. 

Samuel Rutherford. 



Sttlp 27 209 



Blessed are all they that wait for Him. — Is A. 
xxx. 18. 

I will trust again His love, His power, 

Though I cannot feel His hand to-day $ 
To His help anew I will betake me, 

Though His countenance seems turned away ! 
Though without one smile, ©ne gracious token, 

Through the flames and floods my path must go, 
When the fires subside, the waves pass over, 

My Deliverer I again shall know. 

Joachim Lange. 

IN the night of distress, feel after somewhat 
which may quiet and stay thy heart till the 
next springing of the day. The sun will 
arise, which will scatter the clouds. And in 
the day of His power thou wilt find strength to 
walk with Him ; yea, in the day of thy weakness 
His grace will be sufficient for thee. 

Isaac Penington. 

My times are in Thy hand, O Lord ! And, 
surely, that is the best. Were I to choose, they 
should be in no other hands, neither mine own, 
nor any others. When He withholds mercies 
or comforts for a season, it is but till the due 
season. Therefore it is our wisdom and our 
peace to resign all things into His hands, to have 
no will nor desires, but only this, that we may 
still wait for Him. Never was any one who 
waited for Him miserable with disappointment. 

Robert Leighton. 

14 



21 SttlU 28 



Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire 
of every living thing. — Ps. cxlv. 16. 

There 's not a craving in the mind 

Thou dost not meet and still ; 
There's not a wish the heart can have 

Which Thou dost not fulfil. 

Frederick W. Faber. 

YOU will see the truth about the eternal 
life soon ; I don't think it is possible to 
live up to the highest point of duty and 
of happiness without this. I know one can go 
on doing one's duty thoroughly under clouds 
of doubt, and even in complete unbelief; 
there are many who do, and they are dear to 
God, but the duty is done sadly, without the 
spring of life and joy that we are meant to have. 
That fountain of life and strength is hid in God. 
Christ showed us the way to it, and we get it 
into our souls when we utterly trust Him and 
give up our hearts, and our lives, and our aspi- 
rations to Him as to a faithful Creator, who will 
not leave unsatisfied any of the longings of the 
souls He has made ; who will not let love die, 
or disappoint finally the cravings for joy, for 
perfection, for light and knowledge that He has 
implanted, and that are parts of Himself, immortal 
as He is. 

Annie Keary. 



Sttlg 29 211 



/ have made the earth, and created man upon it ; 
I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, 
and all their host have I commanded. I have 
raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all 
his ways. — Is a. xlv. 12, 13. 

He who suns and worlds upholdeth 

Lends us His upholding hand; 
He the ages who unfoldeth 

Doth our times and ways command. 

God is for us 5 
In His strength and stay we stand. 

Thomas H. Gill. 

YOU have trusted Him in a few things, and 
He has not failed you. Trust Him now 
for everything, and see if He does not do 
for you exceeding abundantly above all that you 
could ever have asked or thought, not according 
to your power or capacity, but according to His 
own mighty power, that will work in you all the 
good pleasure of His most blessed will. You 
find no difficulty in trusting the Lord with the 
management of the universe and all the outward 
creation, and can your case be any more com- 
plex or difficult than these, that you need to 
be anxious or troubled about His management 
of it ? 

Hannah Whitall Smith. 



212 3>ttlt> 30 



Wtm hath delivered us from the power of dark- 
ness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His 
dear Son. — Col. i. 13. 

IT is right that we should have an aim of our 
own, determined by our individuality and 
our surroundings ; but this may readily de- 
generate into exclusive narrowness, unless it 
has for a background the great thought that 
there is a Kingdom of God within us, around 
us, and above us, in which we, with all our 
powers and aims, are called to be conscious work- 
ers. Toward the forwarding of this silent, 
ever-advancing Kingdom, our little work, what- 
ever it be, if good and true, may contribute 
something. And this thought lends to any 
calling, however lowly, a consecration which is 
wanting even to the loftiest self-chosen ideals. 
But even if our aim should be frustrated and our 
work come to naught, yet the failure of our most 
cherished plans may be more than compensated. 
In the thought that we are members ot this 
Kingdom, alreadv begun, here and now, yet 
reaching forward through all time, we shall have 
a reserve of consolation better than any which 
success without this could give. 

John Campbell Shairp. 



3>ttlt> 3* 213 



He that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 
— 1 John ii. 17. 

I am Thine, save me. — Ps. cxix. 94. 

TAKE, O Lord, and receive all my liberty, 
my memorv, mv understanding, and my 
will, all that I have and possess. Thou 
hast given it to me ; to Thee, O Lord, I restore 
it ; all is Thine, dispose of it according to Thy 
will. Give me Thv love and Thv grace, for 
this is enough for me. 

Ignatius Loyola. 

Are we willing to give ourselves entirely to 
God ; to let Him do with us whatever He 
pleases ; to follow anywhere at His bidding; to 
renounce anything at His call ; asking only, in 
return, that He will give us Himself, with all 
His infinite love, to be ours from this time for- 
ever f If we are thus willing, let us kneel down 
this moment and tell Him so. Alone with God, 
let us give Him ourselves, all we have and are 
and shall be, to be unreservedly His. 

illiam R. Huntington. 

There is no stay so strong as an unreserved 
abandonment of self into God's hand. 

H. L. Sidney Lear 



2i 4 Stt crust i 



1 have sinned; for I have transgressed the com- 
mandment of the Lord ; because I feared the people, 
and obeyed their voice. — I Sam. xv. 24. 

Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the 
people in whose heart is my law ; fear ye not the 
reproach of men. — Isa. li. 7. 

Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil. — 
Ex. xxiii. 2. 

ALL timidity, irresolution, fear of ridicule, 
weakness of purpose, such as the Apos- 
tles showed when they deserted Christ, 
and Peter especially when he denied Him, are 
to be numbered among the tempers of mind 
which are childish as well as sinful; which we 
must learn to despise. 

John Henry Newman. 

You, who have yielded so readily to your 
friend's persuasion, and have joined him in 
doing wrong, vou know not how many times a 
very little resistance would have saved both him 
and vourself ; vou know not how many times 
he was hesitating already, and would have drawn 
back altogether if you had but given him an 
opening to do so ; you know not how otten, at 
the very time he was arguing with you, he was 
in reality arguing against his own conscience, 
and might have been turned back with ease it 
vou had not given way. Frederick Temple. 



^ttCfttSt 2 215 



Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear 
Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His 
voice, and ye shall serve Him, and cleave unto 
Him. — Deut. xiii. 4. 

GOD visits a soul when He brings before 
it a new vision of truth or duty, a new 
range of opportunities, a new endowment 
of force as well as insight, at some time to which 
all that precedes has led up, and from which 
all that follows depends in its solemn history. 
No Divine visitation leaves us where it found 
us ; it always leaves us better or worse ; if not 
better, then certainly worse. 

Henry Parry Liddon. 

The issues are with God, and His servants 
know not the word disappointment, for they are 
incapable of reading His designs. Only this they 
know, that the slightest hesitation in obeying 
what they believe to be a divine impulse, pro- 
duces a suffering more intense than any conse- 
quences which may accrue to them from the 
world. 

Laurence Oliphaxt. 

Never shrink from deep devotion, because 
you fear its trials or its sacrifices. Paul, in 
martyrdom, was unspeakably happier than God's 
half-hearted servants. 

William R. Huntington. 



216 &UCJU5t 3 



Ob, that thou hadst hearkened to My command- 
ments ! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy 
righteousness as the waves of the sea, — Isa. xlviii. 
18. 

IT is so easy to become more thick-skinned 
in conscience, more tolerant of evil, more 
hopeless of good, more careful of one's own 
comfort and one's own property, more self- 
satisfied in leaving high aims and great deeds to 
enthusiasts, and then to believe that one is grow- 
ing older and wiser. And vet those high ex- 
amples, those good works, those great triumphs 
over evil, which single hands effect sometimes, 
we are all grateful for, when they are done, 
whatever we may have said of the doing. But 
we speak of saints and enthusiasts for good, as 
if some special gifts were made to them in 
middle age which are withheld from other men. 
Is it not rather that some few souls keep alive 
the lamp of zeal and high desire which God 
lights for most of us while life is young ? 

Juliana Horatia Ewing. 

To live with a high ideal is a successful life. 
It is not what one does, but what one tries to 
do, that makes the soul strong and fit for a 
noble career. 

E. P. Tenney. 



In His love and in His pity He redeemed them. 
— Isa. lxiii. 9. 

_ Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord 
pitieth them that fear Him. — Ps. ciii. 13. 

God only knows the love of God: 
Oh, that it now were shed abroad 

In this poor stony heart 5 
For love I sigh, for love I pine ; 
This only portion, Lord, be mine, 

Be mine this better part. 

Charles Wesley. 

DON'T measure God's mind by your own. 
It would be a poor love that depended 
not on itself, but on the feelings of the 
person loved. A crying baby turns away from 
its mother's breast, but she does not put it away 
till it stops crying. She holds it closer. For 
my part, in the worst mood I am ever in, when 
I don't feel I love God at all, I just look up to 
His love. I say to Him, "Look at me. See 
what state I am in. Help me ! " Ah ! you 
would wonder how that makes peace. And the 
love comes of itself 5 sometimes so strong, it 
nearly breaks my heart. 

George Macdonald. 

He does not love us because we are so lovely, 
but because He always loves what He pities. 

Elizabeth Prentiss. 



2i 8 atttfttst 5 



That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be 
glorified in you, and ye in Him, according to the grace 
of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. — 2 Thess. 

Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. — Rom. xiii. 
14. 

Send down Thy likeness from above, 

And let this my adorning be : 
Clothe me with wisdom, patience, love, 

With lowliness and purity. 

Joachim Lange. 

EVIDENTLY, in order to be a manifesta- 
tion of Christ we must be in some way 
like Him. He is a Christian who follows 
Christ, who measures all things by the standard 
of His approbation, who would not willingly 
say a word which he would not like to have 
Christ hear, nor do an act which he would not 
like to have Christ see. He is a Christian who 
tries to be the kind of neighbor Christ would 
be, and the kind of citizen Christ would be, 
and who asks himself in all the alternatives of 
his business life, and his social life, and his 
personal life, what would the Master do in this 
case? The best Christian is he who most 
reminds the people with whom he lives of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. He who never reminds 
anybody of the Lord Jesus Christ is not a 
Christian at all. 

George Hodges. 



QUQUtit 6 219 



And was transfigured before them : and His 
face did shine as the sun, and Mis raiment was 
white as the light. — A4att. xvii. 2. 

Master, it is good for us to be here. — Mark 
ix. 5. 

Master, it is good to be 
Entranced, enwrapt, alone with Thee ; 
Watching the glistering raiment glow, 
Whiter than Hermon's whitest snow 5 
The human lineaments that shine 
Irradiant with a light Divine: 
Till we too change from grace to grace, 
Gazing on that transfigured face. 

A. P. Stanley. 

THE Transfiguration has lived on through 
ages, and has shed its light upon all ages. 
It has brought the past into union with 
the present. " The decease which He should 
accomplish at Jerusalem " has been owned as 
the bond of fellowship between those who walk 
the earth and suffer in it, and those who are 
departed from it. In the light of that " coun- 
tenance which was altered, of that raiment 
which was white and glistering," all human 
countenances have acquired a brightness, all 
common things have been transfigured. A 
glimpse of the Divine beauty has broken through 
the darkness, and has cheered the humblest 
pilgrims. 

Frederic Denison Maurice. 



220 StttCftttft 7 



With Thee is the fountain of life ; in Thy light 
shall we see light. — Ps. xxxvi. 9. 

How beautiful our lives mav be $ how bright 

In privilege ; how fruitful of delight ! 

And lo ! all round us His bright servants stand $ 

Events, His duteous ministers and wise, 

With frowning brows, perhaps, for their disguise, 

But with such wells of love in their deep eyes, 

And such strong rescue hidden in their hands ! 

Henry Septimus Sutton. 

WE see always what we are looking for, 
and if our mind has become trained to 
look for trouble and difficulty and all 
dark and dreary things, we find just what we 
seek. On the other hand, it is quite as easy 
to form the habit of looking always for beauty, 
for good, for happiness, for gladness, and here, 
too, we shall find precisely what we seek. 

J. R. Miller. 

I never knew her [Mrs. Ewing] fail to find 
happiness wherever she was placed, and good 
in whomever she came across. Whatever her 
circumstances might be, they always yielded to 
her causes for thankfulness, and work to be 
done with a ready and hopeful heart. 

Horatia K. F. Eden. 



Sttgttgt 8 



Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he. Prov. 

xvi. 20. 

THIS world of ours is a happy world, so 
that God is our end, so that we can say 
to Him, " Thou art my God." Then 
everything takes new hues of jov and love. 
Our daily comforts have a soul in them, for 
they abound in thanksgiving; our daily infirm- 
ities or crosses have a special jov in them, 
because they are so tenderly fitted to us by the 
medicinal hand of our God /the commonest acts 
of life are full of deep interest, because their 
end is God ; daily duties are daily joys, because 
they are something which God gives" us to offer 
unto Him, to do to our very best,"in acknowledg- 
ment of His love. It is His earth we walk on ; 
His air, we breathe ; His sun, the emblem of His 
all-penetrating love, which gladdens us. Eter- 
nity! Yes, that too is present to us, and is part 
of our joy on earth. God has given us faith to 
make our future home as certain to us, as this 
our spot of earth ; and hope, to aspire strongly 
to it ; and love, as a foretaste of the all-surround- 
ing, ever-unfolding, Almightv love of our own 
God. 

E. B. PUSEY. 



222 gtlCJUSt 9 



Rejoice the soul of Thy servant ; for unto Thee, 
O Lord, do I lift up my soul. — Ps. lxxxvi. 4. 

Ah, dearest Lord ! to feel that Thou art near, 
Brings deepest peace, and hushes every fear ; 
To see Thy smile, to hear Thy gracious voice, 
Makes soul and bodv inwardly rejoice 
With praise and thanks ! 

Christian Gregor. 

PRAYER is a habit; and the more we pray 
the better we shall pray. Sometimes to 
£0 to be alone with God and Christ in the 
fellowship of the Spirit, just for the joy and 
blessedness of it ; to open, with reverent yet 
eager hands, the door into the presence chamber 
of the great King, and then to fall down before 
Him, it may be, in silent adoration ; our very 
attitude an act of homage, our merely being 
there, through the motive that prompts it, 
being the testimony of our soul's love ; to have 
our set day-hours of close communion, with 
which no other friends shall interfere, and which 
no other occupations may interrupt ; to which 
we learn to look forward with a living gladness ; 
on which we look back with satisfaction and 
peace ; this indeed is prayer. 

Anthony W. Thorold. 



£lttCJUSt 10 223 



Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments, 
for therein do I delight. — Ps. cxix. 35. 

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you : 
not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not 
your heart be troubled^ neither let it be afraid. — 
John xiv. 27. 

Then may Thv glorious, perfect will 

Be evermore fulfilled in me, 
And make my life an answering chord 

Of glad, responsive harmony. 

Jean Sophia Pigott. 

CHRIST is the embodied harmony of God, 
and he that receives Him settles into 
harmony with Him. " My peace I give 
unto you," are the Saviour's words; and this 
peace of Christ is the equanimity, dignity, 
firmness, serenity, which made His outwardly- 
afflicted life appear to flow in a calmness so 
sublime. The soul is such a nature that, no 
sooner is it set in peace with itself, than it becomes 
an instrument in tune, a living instrument, dis- 
coursing heavenly music in its thoughts, and 
chanting melodies of biiss, even in its dreams. 
We may even say, that when a soul is in this 
harmony, no fires of calamity, no pains of out- 
ward torment can for one moment break the 
sovereign spell of its joy. It will turn the fires 
to freshening gales, and the pains to sweet in- 
stigations of love and blessing. 

Horace Bushnell. 



—4 August ii 



Thou hast given a banner to them that fear Thee, 
that it may be displayed because of the truth. — Ps! 
lx. 4. 

My cloud of battle-dust may dim, 
His veil of splendor curtain Him $ 
And, in the midnight of my fear, 
I may not feel Him standing near : 
But, as I lift mine eyes above, 
His banner over me is love. 

Gerald Massey. 

MY son, thou art never secure in this life, 
but, as long as thou livest, thou shalt 
always need spiritual armor. 
Thou oughtest manfully to go through all, 
and to use a strong hand against whatsoever with- 
standeth thee. 

For to him that overcometh is manna given, 
and for the indolent there remaineth much 
misery. 

Dispose not thyself for much rest, but for 
great patience. 

Wait for the Lord, behave thyself manfully, 
and be of good courage ; do not distrust Him, 
do not leave thy place, but steadilv expose both 
body and soul for the glory of God. 

Thomas a Kempis. 



Our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have 
trusted in His holy name. — Ps. xxxiii. 21. 

On our way rejoicing as we homeward move, 
Hearken to our praises, O Thou God of lore ! 
Is there grief or sadness ? Thine it cannot be ! 
Is our sky beclouded ? Clouds are not from Thee ! 
On our way rejoicing as we homeward move, 
Hearken to our praises, O Thou God of love ! 

J. B. S. MONSELL. 

MY position has come to this, Am I living 
near my Saviour; then I am as happy 
as the day is long, and as light-hearted 
as a child. It may be that I have plenty of 
annoyances, but they don't trouble me when 
His presence is with me. Am I downcast and 
worried : then I am away from God. 

John Kenneth Mackenzie. 

We may sing beforehand, even in our winter 
storm, in the expectation of a summer sun at 
the turn of the year ; no created powers can 
mar our Lord Jesus' music, nor spill our song 
of joy. Let us then be glad and rejoice in the 
salvation of our Lord ; for faith had never yet 
cause to have wet cheeks, and hanging-down 
brows, or to droop or die. 

Samuel Rutherford. 

T 5 



226 gutcyuot 13 



/ will delight my self in Thy statutes : I will not 
forget Thy word. — Ps. cxix. 16. 

Which also sat at Jesus 9 feet, and heard His 
word. — Luke x. 39. 

Lo ! at Thy feet I wait Thy will, 

Let that alone my being fill, 

All earthly passions calm and still. 

C . S . 

WHATEVER happens let us not be too 
busy to sit at Jesus' feet. We shall 
not reallv lose time by enjoying this ; 
nav, we shall redeem the time ; for there is 
usually much more time and strength forfeited by 
friction than by toil, and we shall gain in blessed- 
ness and enjoyment of our work, and gain in 
the quality of our work; and, above all, we 
shall gain in that we shall give Him pleasure 
where otherwise we might only grieve Him. 
And this is indeed the crown of all our en- 
deavors. He who pleases Him does not live 
in vain. 

Wfo. Hay M. H. Aitken. 

A low standard of prayer means a low stand- 
ard of character and a low standard of service. 
Those alone labor effectively among men who 
impetuously fling themselves upward towards 
God. 

Charles H. Brent. 



There is a spirit in man ; and the inspiration of 
the Almighty giveth them understanding. — Job 
xxxii. 8. 

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts 
unto your children ; bow much more shall your 
heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that 
ask Him? — Luke xi. 13. 

IS it supposable that God has permitted perso- 
nal intercourse between man and man to 
be such a potent instrument in the building 
up of character, and yet has made all intercourse 
with Himself impossible ? If the spirit of man 
can, through the power of influence and sym- 
pathy, bless and uplift the spirit of his fellow- 
man, much more, a thousand-fold more, shall 
God who, be it remembered, is a Spirit also, aid 
by intercourse and influence the creature spirit 
whom He permits to call himself His child. 

William Reed Huntington. 

In the fellowship which is established in 
prayer between man and God we are brought 
into personal union with Him in whom all 
things have their being. In this lies the possi- 
bility of boundless power ; for when the con- 
nection is once formed, who can lay down the 
limits of what man can do in virtue of the 
communion of his spirit with the Infinite 
Spirit ? Brooke Foss Westcott. 



228 



The children of Ephraim^ being armed and carry- 
ing boius, turned back in the day of battle. — Ps. 
lxxviii. 9. 

Be thou strong, and very courageous. — Josh. 

Go forward, Christian soldier, 

Beneath His banner true ! 
The Lord Himself, thy Leader, 

Shall all thy foes subdue. 
His love foretells thy trials ; 

He knows thine hourly need ; 
He can with bread of heaven 

Thy fainting spirit feed. 

Lawrence Tuttiett. 

WHILE there is left in you a trace of ill- 
temper, or of vanity, of pride, or of 
selfishness; while there is left in you 
a single sin, or germ of sin, you must not rest 
from "the battle." God does not require from 
vou to be sinless when you come before Him, 
but He does require vou to be unceasing in your 
perseverance. He does not require that vou 
shall never have fallen j but He does require 
unwearied efforts. He does not require you to 
win, but He does require you to tight. 

Frederick Temple. 

Still fight resolutely on, knowing that, in this 
spiritual combat, none is overcome but he who 
ceases to struggle and to trust in God. 

Lorenzo Scupoli. 



attCJttSt 16 229 



IVhen I cry unto Thee^ then shall mine enemies 
turn back : this I know ; for God is for me. — Ps. 
lvi. 9. 

Soul ! wouldst thou from the battle shrink, 

And flee before the foe ? 
Dost thou beneath the burden sink, 

And in the dust lie low ? 
Oh ! waste not there vain tears and sighs : 

The trumpet soundeth clear ; 
O'ercome, and to My glory rise ! 

CTercome, and triumph here ! 

Thomas H. Gill. 

BE not discouraged because of your soul's 
enemies. Are ye troubled with thoughts, 
fears, doubts, imaginations, reasonings ? yea, 
do ye see, vet, much in you unsubdued to the 
power of life ? Oh ! do not fear it ; do not 
look at it, so as to be discouraged by it ; but 
look to Him ! look up to the power which is 
over all their strength \ wait for the descendings 
of the power upon you ; abide in faith of the 
Lord's help, and wait in patience till the Lord 
arise \ and see if His arm do not scatter what 
yours could not. So, be still before Him, and, 
in stillness, believe in His name ; vea, enter not 
into the hurryings of the enemv, though they 
fill the soul ; for, there is vet somewhat to which 
they cannot enter, from whence patience, faith, 
and hope, will spring up in you, even in the 
midst of all they can do. 

Isaac Pexixgton. 



230 &u<rtt3t 17 



Always bearing about in the body the dying of the 
Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made 
manifest in our body. — 2 Cor. iv. 10. 

But we as in a glass espy 

The glory of His countenance, 
Not in a whirlwind hurrying by 

The too presumptuous glance, 
But with mild radiance every hour, 

From our dear Saviour's face benign 
Bent on us with transforming power 

Till we, too, faintly shine. 

John Keble. 

IF we be faithful and humble, God will increase 
our faith by enabling us to obey more faith- 
fully, and will strengthen our sight by enab- 
ling us to do what we now see. As in our daily 
walk we come nearer towards heaven, He will 
open to us more of heaven. And so the veil 
which sin laid upon our sight being taken away, 
" we all, with open face, beholding, as in a glass, 
the glory of the Lord," studying His countenance, 
watching His looks, seeking to have His gra- 
cious and compassionate look cast upon us in 
the midst of our frailties and infirmities, may 
catch some faint reflections of its brightness, and 
be changed into the image whereon we gaze, 
which we love, which, in our weakness, we 
would long to copy and transfuse into our- 
selves ; we too may be " changed into the same 
image, from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of 
the Lord." Edward B. Pusey. 



<Kuqu£t 18 231 



Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and 
evening to rejoice. Thou crownest the year with 
Thy goodness. — Ps. lxv. 8, 1 1. 

He loveth righteousness and justice : the earth is 
full of the lovingkindness of the Lord. — Ps. xxxiii. 

5 (R. v.). 

I sing because Thy works are fair, 

Thy glory makes me glad, 
The garments bright of praise I wear, 

For Thou art brightly clad. 

Full triumph doth my soul possess, 

Because Thy ways are right 5 
The glory of Thy righteousness 

Maketh my dear delight. 

Thomas H. Gill. 

THE fulness of joy is to behold God in all ; 
for by the same blessed might, wisdom, 
and love, that He made all things, to the 
same end our good Lord leadeth it continually, 
and there to Himself shall bring it, and, when it 
is time, we shall see it. 

Mother Juliana. 

God gives us richly all things to enjov, while 
He Himself is His own best gift, and to be en- 
joyed not in a way of dutv, but in the simple, 
natural realizing aright of what we possess in 
Him. 

John McLeod CaxVtpbell. 



232 &ttcyttst 19 



is required in stewards that a man be found 
faithful — 1 Cor. iv. 2. 

TOO many people are not faithful in little 
things. Thev are not to be absolutely 
depended upon. Thev do not always keep 
their promises. Thev break engagements. They 
fail to pay their debts promptly. They come 
behind time to appointments. They are neglect- 
ful and careless in little things. In general they 
are good people, but their life is honeycombed with 
small failures. One who can be positively 
depended upon, who is faithful in the least 
things as well as in the greatest, whose life and 
character are true through and through, gives 
out a light in this world which honors Christ and 
blesses others. 

J. R. Miller. 

Duties retire evermore from the observation 
of those who slight them. 

Sarah W. Stephen. 

Great thoughts go best with common duties. 
Whatever therefore may be your office regard it 
as a fragment in an immeasurable ministry 
of love. 

Brooke Foss Westcott. 



gttCJttSt 20 233 



Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended ; 
but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which 
are behind, and reaching forth unto those things 
which are before, I press toward the mark, — - 
Phil. iii. 13, 14. 

Till, as each moment wafts us higher, 

By every gush of pure desire, 
And high-breathed hopes of joys above, 

By every sacred sigh we heave, 

Whole years of folly we outlive, 
In His unerring sight, who measures Life by Love. 

John Keble. 

WHAT we can do is a small thing ; but 
we can will and aspire to great things. 
Thus, if a man cannot be great, he 
can yet be good in will; and what he, with his 
whole heart and mind, love and desire, wills to 
be, that without doubt he most truly is. It is 
little we can bring to pass ; but our will and 
desire may be large. Nay, they may grow till 
they lose themselves in the infinite abyss of God. 
And if ye cannot be as entirely His as ye fain 
would be, be His as much as ye may attain 
unto ; but, whatever ve are, be that truly and 
entirely; and what ve cannot be, that be con- 
tented not to be, in a sincere spirit of resignation, 
for God's sake and in Him. So shall you per- 
adventure possess more of God in lacking than 
in having. 

John Tauler. 



234 Stttyttst 21 



The God of Israel is He that giveth strength and 
power unto His people. Blessed be God. — Ps. 
lxviii. 35. 

I will meet distress and pain, 

I will greet e'en Death's dark reign, 

I will lay me in the grave 

With a heart still glad and brave 5 

Whom the Strongest doth defend, 
Whom the Highest counts His friend, 
Cannot perish in the end. 

Paul Gerhardt. 

GOULD we but live more entirely in the 
unseen Presence, and trust to the unseen 
support, — and if lonely, or disappointed, 
or depressed, turn more quickly to God, fully 
confident of His all-embracing care, believing 
in His perfect love, the tender sympathy with 
which He ever regards us, how different life 
would be from what it ordinarily is ! Yet we 
doubt not that Divine support is assured to us, 
if we seek to do what is pleasing in His sight. 
If the end we desire comes not, yet there is rest 
in the assurance that we have told Him all, and 
left it to Him to do w 7 hat He wills. 

T. T. Carter. 

How reasonable it is to trust ourselves to the 
keeping of infinite love, and infinite wisdom, 
and infinite power ! 

Thomas Erskine. 



QUQUQt 22 235 



Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in 
the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the sa?ne mind. 
— 1 Peter iv. 1. 

Take thy whole portion with thy Master's mind — 
Toil, hindrance, hardness, with His virtue take — 

And think how short a time thy heart may rind 
To labor or to suffer for His sake. 

Anna L. Waring. 

YOUR portion is to love, to be silent, to 
suffer, to sacrifice your inclinations, in 
order to fulfil the will of God, by moulding 
yourself to that of others. Happy indeed you 
are thus to bear a cross laid on you by God's 
own hands, in the order of His Providence. 
The discipline which we choose for ourselves 
does not destroy our self-love like that which 
God assigns us Himself each day. All we 
have to do is to give ourselves up to God day 
by day, without looking further. He carries us 
in His arms as a loving mother carries her child. 
In every need let us look with love and trust to 
our Heavenly Father. 

Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 

The loving heart which seeks to offer all, 
even disappointments and vexations which touch 
the tenderest places, to God, will be more likely 
to grow in generosity of spirit than one who 
bears grudgingly what cannot be averted. 

H. L. Sidney Lear. 



236 August 23 



According as His divine power hath given unto 
us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, 
through the knowledge of Him that hath called us 
to glory and virtue. — 2 Peter i. 3. 

WE often try in vain to cut up our errors 
by the roots, to fight evil hand to hand 
on its own ground, where it has us at 
a disadvantage, whereas our most sure way to 
victory is by developing and fortifying the good 
that is in us. We have but .a certain measure 
of strength and activity ; as much of this as is 
added to the good is taken from the evil. 

Madame Swetchixe. 

I think you will find that it is not by making 
resolutions in a difficulty that you will conquer 
a f au lt — tackling it, I mean, — but much more 
bv opening a window to Almighty God, and 
letting Him speak to you. As long as we are 
vouns; we set so much importance on our own 
efforts, whereas often, if we will just do nothing 
but listen quietly to what God has to say to us, 
we shall find that He sets us thinking and 
mending our faults bv a quiet way which looks 
as though it had nothing to do with it ; and 
then, when we come to about where our fault 
used to be, we find it gone, imperceptibly as it 
were, by our having been strengthened in another 
direction which lav, though we did not know it, 
at the real root of the matter. 

Henrietta Kerr. 



&u$mt 24 237 



I have heard the murmurings of the children of 
Israel. — Ex. xvi. 12. 

Save our blessings, Master, save 

From the blight of thankless eye, 
Teach us for all joys to crave 

Benediction pure and high, 
Own them given, endure them gone, 
Shrink from their hardening touch, yet prize them won, 
Prize them as rich odors meet 
For love to lavish at His sacred feet. 

John Keble. 

NOTHING so hinders us in what we are 
doing as to be longing after something 
else; in so doing, we leave off tilling 
our own field, to drive the plough through our 
neighbor's land, where we must not look to 
reap a harvest ; and this is mere waste of time. 
If our thoughts and hopes are elsewhere, it is 
impossible for us to set our faces steadily towards 
the work required of us. St. Francis de Sales. 

One thing is indisputable : the chronic mood 
of looking longingly at what we have not, or 
thankfully at what we have, realizes two very 
different types of character. And we certainly 
can encourage the one or the other. 

Lucy C. Smith. 

Seek to cultivate a buoyant, joyous sense of 
the crowded kindnesses of Godwin your daily 

Alexander MacLaren. 



238 Quqwt 25 

The mountains shall depart, and the hills be re- 
moved; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, 
neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, 
saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. — Isa. liv. 
10. 

There hath not failed one word of all His good 
promise. — 1 Kings viii. 56. 

THERE is a persuasion in the soul of 
man that he is here for cause, that he 
was put down in this place by the Creator 
to do the work for which He inspires him, that 
thus he is an overmatch for all antagonists that 

could combine against him. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson. 



It is impossible for that man to despair who 
remembers that his Helper is omnipotent; and 
can do whatsoever He please. Let us rest there 
awhile, — He can, if He please; and He is 
infinitely loving, willing enough; and He is 
infinitely wise, choosing better for us than we 
can do for ourselves. God invites and cherishes 
the hopes of men by all the variety of His prov- 
idence. He that believes does not make haste, 
but waits patiently, till the times of refreshment 
come, and dares trust God for the morrow, and 
is no more solicitous for the next year than he 
is for that which is past. 

Jeremy Taylor. 



®Xt$U8t 26 



Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of 
all comfort 1 who comfort eth us in all our tribu- 
lation, that we may be able to comfort them which 
are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we 
ourselves are comforted of God, — 2 Cor. i. 3, 4. 

THE spirit of gracious and expressed affec- 
tion. Ah, let no one shrink from ex- 
pressing it ! The heart has strange 
abysses of gloom, and often yearns for just one 
word of love to help. And it is just when the 
manner may be drier and less genial than usual 
that the need may be greatest. 

Lucy C. Smith. 

God puts within our reach the power of help- 
fulness, the ministry of pity : He is ever ready 
to increase His grace in our hearts, that as we 
live and act among all the sorrows of the world 
we may learn by slow degrees the skill and 
mystery of consolation. « If ye know these 
things, happy are ye if ye do them." There is 
no surer way of steadfast peace in this world 
than the active exercise of pity ; no happier 
temper of mind and work than the lowly watch- 
ing to see if we can lessen any misery that is 
about us : nor is there any better way of growth 
in faith and love. 

Francis Paget. 



2 4 o £tttrttgt 27 



Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, . . . 
for where your treasure is, there will your heart be 
also. — Matt. vi. 20, 21. 

Since I am coming to that holy room 
Where with the choir of saints forevermore 

I shall be made Thy music, as I come 
I tune the instrument here at the door, 
And, what I must do then, think here before. 

John Donne. 

TO lay up treasure in heaven is to do acts 
which promote, or belong to, the kingdom 
of God; and what our Lord assures us 
of is that any act of our hands, any thought of 
our heart, any word of our lips, which promotes 
the divine kingdom by the ordering whether of 
our own life or of the world outside — all such 
activity, though it may seem for the moment to 
be lost, is really stored up in the divine treasure- 
house ; and when the heavenly city, the New 
Jerusalem, shall at last appear, that honest effort 
of ours, which seemed so ineffectual, shall be 
found to be a brick built into that eternal and 
celestial fabric. Charles Gore. 

We cannot remove the conditions under 
which our work is to be done, but we can trans- 
form them. They are the elements out of 
which we must build the temples wherein we 
serve. Brooke Foss Westcott. 



August 28 241 



If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my 
lave. — John xv. 10. 

This did not once so trouble me, 
That better I could not love Thee ; 

But now I feel and know 
That onlv when we love, we rind 
How far our hearts remain behind 

The love thev should bestow. 

Richard Chenevtx Trench. 

OUR Lord gives the answer to a difficulty 
continually perplexing honest Christians 
— " How am I to learn to love God ? 
I want to do my duty, but I do not feel as if I 
loved God." Our Lord gives the answer, 
"Where your treasure is, there will vour heart 
be also." Act for God, do and say the things 
that He wills ; direct your thoughts and inten- 
tions God-ward ; and, depend upon it, in the 
slow process of nature, all that belongs to you 
— your instincts, your intelligence, vour affec- 
tions, your feelings — will gradually follow along 
the line of your action. Act for God; you are 
already showing love to Him and you will learn 
^ofeel it. Charles Gore. 

They who, continuing faithful to divine grace, 
however partially communicated, serve " God 
with their whole lives, will never fail of that 
one reward, the greatest which even He has to 
bestow, the being made able to love Him with 
their whole hearts. Dora Greenwell. 

16 



2 4 2 &tltjtt£t 29 



The troubles of my heart are enlarged : Oh, bring 
Thou me out of my distresses. — Ps. xxv. 17. 

Low at His feet lay thy burden of carefulness, 
High on His heart He will bear it for thee, 

Comfort thy sorrows, and answer thy prayerfulness, 
Guiding thy steps as may best for thee be. 

J. S. B. Monsell. 

THE greatest burden we have to carry in 
life is self. The most difficult thing we 
have to manage is self. Our own daily 
living, our frames and feelings, our especial 
weaknesses and temptations, and our peculiar 
temperaments, — our inward affairs of every 
kind, — these are the things that perplex and 
worry us more than anything else, and that 
bring us oftenest into bondage and darkness. 
In laying off your burdens, therefore, the first 
one you must get rid of is yourself. You must 
hand yourself and all your inward experiences, 
your temptations, your temperament, your frames 
and feelings, all over into the care and keeping 
of your God, and leave them there. He made 
you and therefore He understands you, and 
knows how to manage you, and you must trust 
Him to do it. 

Hannah Whitall Smith. 



ftttguot 30 243 



/ am the Lord thy God ivhich teacheth thee to 
profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou 
shouldest go, — Isa. xlviii. 17. 

Just as God leads me I would go 5 

I would not ask to choose my way 5 
Content w T ith what He will bestow, 
Assured He will not let me stray. 
So as He leads, my path I make, 
And step by step I gladly take, 
A child in Him confiding. 

Lampertus Gedicke. 

HE has not made us for nought ; He has 
brought us thus far, in order to bring us 
further, in order to bring us on to the 
end. He will never leave us nor forsake us ; 
so that we may boldly say, u The Lord is my 
Helper; I will not fear what flesh can do unto 
me." We u may cast all our care upon Him 
who careth for us." What is it to us how our 
future path lies, if it be but His path ? What 
is it to us whither it leads us, so that in the end 
it leads to Him ? What is it to us what He 
puts upon us, so that He enables us to undergo 
it with a pure conscience, a true heart, not 
desiring anything of this world in comparison 
of Him ? What is it to us what terror be- 
falls us, if He be but at hand to protect and 
strengthen us ? 

John Henry Newman. 



Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it 
cannot save ; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot 
hear: but your iniquities have separated between 
you and your God, and your sins have hid His face 
from you. — Isa. lix. 1, 2. 

One thing alone, dear Lord! I dread ; 

To have a secret spot 
That separates my soul from Thee, 

And yet to know it not. 

Frederick W. Faber. 

IT is a condition of enjoying continued in- 
sight into the laws which govern spiritual 
truth, that we should conform our moral 
being to that measure of truth which we already 
see. A deliberate rejection of duty prescribed 
by already recognized truth cannot but destroy, 
or at least impair most seriously, the clearness 
of our mental vision. A single act may thus 
involve grave inward deterioration ; it may land 
the soul upon a lower level of moral life, where 
passion is more imperious, and principle is 
weaker ; where a man is less his own master, 
and more readily enslaved to the circumstances 
and beings around him. H. P. Liddon. 

It is a strange but inflexible spiritual law, that 
those who aim at anything short of the best 
according to their conception, as God has given 
them light, will sooner or later come to grief. 
It is merely a matter of time. 

Charles H. Brent. 



245 



Fret not thyself, it iendeth only to evil-doing. — 
Ps. xxxvii. 8 (R. V.). 

To anxious, prving thought, 
And weary, fretting care, 

The Highest yieldeth nought j 
He giveth all to prayer. 

Paul Gerhardt. 

DO not be disquieted about your faults. 
Love without ceasing 5 and much will be 
forgiven you, because you have loved 
much. Faults perceived in peace, in the spirit 
of love, are immediately consumed by love itself; 
but faults perceived in a pettish fit of self-love 
disturb peace, interrupt the presence of God, 
and the exercise of perfect love. Vexation at a 
fault is generally more of a fault than the fault 
itself. 

Francois de la Mothe Fexelox. 

Fight like a good soldier ; and if thou some- 
times fall through frailty, take ag;ain greater 
strength than before, trusting in mvniore^abun- 
dant grace. 

Thomas a Kempis. 

This alone is thy concern, to fight manfully, 
and never, however manifold thy" wounds, to 
lay down thine arms, or to take to flight. 

LOREXZO ScUPOLI. 



246 £r$ trotter 2 



Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory 
in his wisdom, neither let the mighty ?nan glory in 
his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches : 
but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he under'- 
standeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which 
exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness, 
in the earth ; for in these things I delight, saith the 
Lord. — Jer. ix. 23, 24. 

What dost thou fear ? His wisdom reigns 

Supreme confessed ; 
His power is infinite ; His love 
Thy deepest, fondest dreams above \ — 

So trust and rest. 

Adelaide A. Procter. 

THE firm belief of, and resting on, His 
power and wisdom, and love, gives a clear, 
satisfying answer to all doubts and fears. 
It suffers us not to stand to jangle with each 
trifling, grumbling objection, but carries all be- 
fore it, makes day in the soul, and so chases 
away those fears that vex us only in the dark. 

Robert Leighton. 

I feel that goodness, and truth, and righteous- 
ness are realities, eternal realities, and that they 
cannot be abstractions, or vapors floating in a 
spiritual atmosphere, but that they necessarily 
imply a living, personal Will, a good, loving, 
righteous God, in whose hands we are perfectly 
safe, and who is guiding us by unfailing wisdom. 

Thomas Erskixe. 



izepttmher 3 



As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that 
he is among his sheep that are scattered ; so will J 
seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all 
places where they have been scattered in the cloudy 
and dark day. — Ezekiel xxxiv. 12. 

The life which I now live in the flesh I live by 
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave 
Himself for me. — Gal. ii. 20. 

Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed, 

But yet in love He sought me, 
And on His shoulder gently laid, 

And home rejoicing brought me. 

Sir Henry W. Baker. 

TRY to feel, by imagining what the lonely 
Syrian shepherd must feel towards the 
helpless things which are the companions 
of his daily life, for whose safety he stands in 
jeopardy every hour, and whose value is measured 
to him not by price, but by his own jeopardy, 
and then we have reached some notion of the 
love which Jesus meant to represent ; that 
Eternal tenderness which bends over us, and 
knows the name of each and the trials of each, 
and thinks for each with a separate solicitude, 
and gave itself for each with a sacrifice as 
special, and a love as personal, as if in the whole 
world's wilderness there were none other but 
that one. 

Frederick Wm. Robertson. 



24S J&ejitetttfitr 4 



Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having 
the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. . . . 
Let this ?nind be in you, which was also in Christ 
Jesus. — Phil. ii. 2, 5. 

Jesus, Thy all-victorious love 

Shed in my heart abroad j 
Then shall my feet no longer rove, 

Rooted and fixed in God. 
My steadfast soul, from falling free, 

Shall then no longer move, 
While Christ is all the world to me, 

And all my heart is love. 

Charles Wesley. 

LET our temper be under the rule of the 
love of Jesus : He can not alone curb it, 
— He can make us gentle and patient. 
Let the vow, that not an unkind word of others 
shall ever be heard from our lips, be laid trust- 
ingly at His feet. Let the gentleness that re- 
fuses to take offence, that is always readv to 
excuse, to think and hope the best, mark our 
intercourse with all. Let our life be one of 
self-sacrifice, always studving the welfare of 
others, finding our highest jov in blessing others. 
And let us, in studving the Divine art of doing 
good, yield ourselves as obedient learners to the 
guidance of the Holv Spirit. Bv His grace, 
the most common-place life can be transfigured 
with the brightness of a heavenly beautv, as the 
infinite love of the Divine nature shines out 
through our frail humanity. Andrew Murray. 



Mxpttmhtr 5 



Te yourselves are taught of God to love one an- 
other. — 1 Thess. iv. 9. 

If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and 
His love is perfected in us. — i John iv. 12. 

THIS is the great business and meaning of 
our life on earth : that we should more 
and more yield up our hearts to God's 
great grace of love ; that we should let it enter 
ever more fully and more freely into us, so that 
it may even fill our whole heart and life. We 
must day after day be driving back, in His 
strength, the sin that doth so easily beset us, 
and the selfishness that sin has fastened in our 
hearts; and then His love will day by day in- 
crease in us. Prayer will win and 'keep it; 
work will strengthen and exercise it ; the Bible 
will teach us how to know and prize it, how to 
praise God for it ; the Holy Eucharist will ever 
renew and quicken its power in our hearts. 
And so (blessed be God !), love and joy and 
peace will grow in us, beyond all that we can 
ask or think; and He will forgive us, for love's 
sake, all the failures, all the faults in whatever 
work He has given us to do ; and will bring us 
at last into the fulness of that life which even 
here He has suffered us to know; into that one 
Eternal Home, where Love is perfect, and un- 
wearied, and unending; and where nothing 
ever can part us from one another or from Him. 

Francis Paget. 



250 September 6 



Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedi- 
ence of Christ. — 2 Cor. x. 5. 

" 1 WILL lift up mine eyes unto the hills." 
The vision of God unseals the lips of 
man. Herein lies strength for conflict 
with the common enemy of the praying world 
known as wandering thoughts. If the eye is 
fixed on God, thought may roam where it will 
without irreverence, for every thought is then 
converted into a praver. Some have found it a 
useful thing when their minds have wandered 
off from devotion and been snared by some good 
but irrelevant consideration, not to cast away 
the offending thought as the eyes are again lifted 
to the Divine Face, but to take it captive, carry 
it into the presence of God and weave it into 
a prayer before putting it aside and resuming 
the original topic. This is to lead captivity 
captive. 

Charles H. Brent. 

Each wish to pray is a breath from heaven, 
to strengthen and refresh us ; each act of faith, 
done to amend our prayers, is wrought in us by 
Him, and draws us to Him, and His gracious 
look on us. Neglect nothing which can produce 
reverence. 

Edward B. Pusey. 



&t#Umbev 7 251 



I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever ; I will 
trust in the covert of Thy wings. — Ps. lxi. 4. 

/ will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel 
— Ps. xvi. 7. 

WOULD it not be possible for every 
man to double his intellectual force 
by keeping much in the company of 
Infinite Wisdom ? E. P. Tenney. 

I cannot help the thought which grows 
steadily upon me, that the better part of prayer 
is not the asking, but the kneeling where we 
can ask, the resting there, the staying there, 
drawing out the willing moments in heavenly 
communion with God, within the closet, with 
the night changed into the brightness of the day 
by the light of Him who all the night was in 
prayer to God. Just to be there, at leisure from 
ourselves, at leisure from the world, with our 
souls at liberty, with our spirit feeling its kinship 
to the Divine Spirit, with our life finding itself 
in the life of God, — this is prayer. Would it 
be possible that one could be thus with God, 
listening to Him, speaking to Him, reposing 
upon His love, and not come out with a shining 
face, a gladdened heart, an intent mere constant 
and more strong to give to the waiting world 
which so sadly needs it what has been taken 
from the heart of God ? 

Alexander McKenzie. 



252 g>t#Umbtv 8 



Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give 
thanks at the remembrance of His holiness. — Ps. 
xxx. 4. 

Glad with Thy light, and glowing with Thy love, 
So let me ever speak and think and move 

As fits a soul new-touched with life from heaven $ 
That seeks but so to order all her course 
As most to show the glory of that Source 

By whom alone her strength, her life are given. 

C. J. P. Spitta. 

OUR Christianity is apt to be of a very 
" dutiful " kind. We mean to do our 
duty, we attend church and go to our 
communions. But our hearts are full of the 
difficulties, the hardships, the obstacles which 
the situation presents, and we go on our way 
sadly, downhearted and despondent. We need 
to learn that true Christianity is inseparable from 
deep joy ; and the secret of that joy lies in a 
continual looking away from all else — away 
from sin and its ways, and from the manifold 
hindrances to the good we would do — up to 
God, His love, His purpose, His will. In pro- 
portion as we do look up to Him we shall 
rejoice, and in proportion as we rejoice in the 
Lord will our religion have tone and power and 
attractiveness. 

Charles Gore. 



&epUmhtv g 253 



Even as the Father hath loved me, I also have 
loved you ; abide ye in my love. — John xv. 9 
(R. V.). 

sIBIDE IN ME : These words are the 
/jf command of love, which is ever only a 
promise in a different shape. Think 
of this until all feeling of burden and fear and 
despair pass away, and the first thought that 
comes as you hear of abiding in Jesus be one 
of bright and joyous hope. 

Andrew Murray. 

When love is heard inviting more trust, 
more love, the encouragement to trust, to love, 
goes beyond the rebuke that our love is so little, 
and we take heart to confide in the love that is 
saying, " Give me thine heart," expecting that 
it will impart itself to us, and enable us to give 
the response of love which it desires. For 
indeed it must be with the blessed purpose to 
enable us to love Him that our God bids us 
love Him ; for He knows that no love but what 
He Himself quickens in us can love Him. 

Therefore always feel the call to love a gra- 
cious promise of strength to love, and marvel 
not at your own deadness, but trust in Him 
who quickeneth the dead. 

John McLeod Campbell. 



254 ^f-ptrmfcrr 10 



And above all these things put on love, which 
is the bond of perfectness. — Col. iii. 14 (R. V.). 

Thou hatest hatred's withering reign \ 
In souls that discord maketh dark 
Dost Thou rekindle love's bright spark, 

And make them one again. 

Paul Gerhardt. 

T^^E have cause to suspect our religion if 
\ \ it does not make us gentle, and for- 
bearing, and forgiving; if the love of 
our Lord does not so flood our hearts as to 
cleanse them of all bitterness, and spite, and 
wrath. If a man is nursing; an^er, if he is 
let ting his mind become a nest of foul passions, 
malice, and hatred, and evil wishing, how 
dwelleth the love of God in him : 

Hugh Black. 

Love me always, bov, whatever I do or leave 
undone. And — God help me — whatever vou 
do or leave undone, I 'II love vou. There shall 
never be a cloud between us for a dav ; no, sir, 
not tor an hour. We 're imperfect enough, all 
of us, we needn't be so bitter; and life is 
uncertain enough at its safest, we need n't waste 
its opportunities. 

Juliana Ho rati a Ewixg 



irejitemfier n 255 



Love worketh no ill to bis neighbor ; therefore love 
is the fulfilling of the law. — Rom. xiii. 10. 

In her tongue is the law of kindness. — Pro v. 
xxxi. 26. 

THE worst kinds of unhappiness, as well as 
the greatest amount of it, come from our 
conduct to each other. If our conduct, 
therefore, were under the control of kindness, 
it would be nearly the opposite of what it is, 
and so the state of the world would be almost 
reversed. We are for the most part unhappv, 
because the world is an unkind world. But the 
world is onlv unkind for the lack of kindness in 
us units who compose it. 

Frederick Wm. Faber. 

You feel in some families as if vou were 
living between the glasses of a microscope. 
Manner, accent, expression, all that goes to 
make up vour M personality," all that vou do or 
leave undone, is commented upon and found 
fault with. 

H. Bowman. 

If you would be loved as a companion, avoid 
unnecessary criticism upon those with whom 
you live. 

Arthur Helps. 



256 ^ejjtemfier 12 



e fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, 
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself ye do well. 
— James ii. 8. 

DO you feel yourself alone and empty- 
hearted ? Then you have necessity in- 
deed for fortitude and brave endurance, 
but above all and before all you must get out 
of your solitude. You cannot command for 
yourself the love you would gladly receive ; it 
is not in our power to do that ; but that noble 
love which is not asking but giving, — that you 
can always have. Wherever your life touches 
another life, there you have opportunity. To 
mix with men and women in the ordinary forms 
of social intercourse becomes a sacred function 
when one carries into it the true spirit. To 
give a close, sympathetic attention to every 
human being we touch ; to try to get some 
sense of how he feels, what he is, what he 
needs; to make in some degree his interest our 
own, — that disposition and habit would deliver 
any one of us from isolation or emptiness. 

George S. Merriam. 

She [Annie Keary] did not try to set others 
right ; she only listened to and loved and under- 
stood her fellow-creatures. 

Eliza Keary. 



£?t#temhtv 13 257 



The peace of God, which passeth all understand- 
ing, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ 
Jesus. — Phil. iv„ 7. 

I take Thee for my Peace, O Lord, 

My heart to keep and fill 5 
Thine own great calm, amid earth's storms, 

Shall keep me always still, 
And as Thy Kingdom doth increase, 
So shall Thine ever-deepening peace. 

Annie W. Marston. 

REMEMBER this, busy and burdened dis- 
ciple; man or woman tried by uncertain 
health; immersed in secular duties; forced 
to a life of almost ceaseless publicity. Here is 
written an assurance, a guarantee, that not at 
holy times and welcome intervals only, not only 
in the dust of death, but in the dust of life, 
there is prepared for you the peace of God, 
able to keep your hearts and thoughts in Christ 
Jesus. It is no dead calm, no apathy. It is 
the peace of God ; and God is life, and light, 
and love. It is found in Him, it is cultivated 
by intercourse with Him. It is " the secret 
of His presence." Amidst the circumstances of 
your life, which are the expression of His will, 
He can maintain it, He can keep you in it. 
Nay, it is not passive ; it " shall keep " you, 
alive, and loving, and practical, and ready at 
His call. 

Handley C. G. Moule. 

17 



258 J^rptemticr 14 



/ will zualk within my house with a perfect heart. 
— Ps. ci. 2. 

Teach me, O God, Thy holy way, 
And give me an obedient mind ; 
That in Thy service I may find 

My soul's delight from day to day. 

William Tidd Matson. 

AS far as human frailty will permit, each 
little trifling piece of duty which presents 
itself to us in daily life, if it be only a 
compliance with some form of social courtesy, 
should receive a consecration, by setting God — 
His will, word, and Providence — before us in 
it, and by lifting up our hearts to Him in ejacu- 
latory prayer, while we are engaged in it. The 
idea must be thoroughly worked into the mind, 
and woven into the texture of our spiritual life, 
that the minutest duties which God prescribes to 
us in the order of His Providence — a casual 
visit, a letter of sympathy, an obligation of 
courtesy, are not by any means too humble to 
be made means of spiritual advancement, if only 
the thing be done " as to the Lord, and not to 
men." 

Edward Meyrick Goulburn. 

Learn to commend thy daily acts to God, so 
shall the dry every-day duties of common life be 
steps to heaven, and lift thy heart thither. 

Edward B. Pusey. 



gcpUmftcv 15 259 



If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn 
unto death, and those that are ready to be slain ; if 
thou say est, Behold, we knew it not ; doth not He 
that pondereth the heart consider it, and He that 
keepeth thy soul, doth not He know it? and shall 
not He render unto every ?nan according to his 
works? — Prov, xxiv. 11, 12. 

WHAT we value for ourselves we must 
seek to spread to others ; and what we 
shrink from ourselves — lowering sur- 
roundings, a tainted atmosphere — what we 
shrink to think of those nearest and dearest to 
us being exposed to — let us do all we can to 
remove from others. " Lead us not into temp- 
tation. Deliver us from evil." Do what you 
can to sweeten the mental and moral atmosphere 
that surrounds you. Arthur C. A. Hall. 

We have a more or less true ideal of what our 
own human life ought to be — of what oppor- 
tunities we ought to have for the development 
of our faculties — of what home and school and 
college, youth and married life and old age, work 
and rest, ought to mean for ourselves and our 
families. We are to be as truly zealous and 
active for other classes or other individuals as 
we are for our own class or our own family or 
ourselves. 

Charles Gore. 



260 &e$ttmbtv 16 



/ will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, 
and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the 
Lord hath bestowed on us. — Isa. lxiii. 7. 

Be content with such things as ye have. — Heb. 
xiii. 5. 

My God shall supply all your need according to 
His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. — Phil. iv. 19. 

BEGIN with thanking Him for some little 
thing, and then go on, day by day, adding 
to your subjects of praise ; thus you will 
find their numbers grow wonderfully ; and, in 
the same proportion, will your subjects of mur- 
muring and complaining diminish, until you see 
in everything some cause for thanksgiving. If 
you cannot begin with anything positive, begin 
with something negative. If your whole lot 
seems only filled with causes for discontent, at 
any rate there is some trial that has not been ap- 
pointed you ; and you may thank God for its 
being withheld from you. It is certain that the 
more you try to praise, the more you will see 
how your path and your lying down are beset 
with mercies, and that the God of love is ever 
watching to do you good. 

Priscilla Maurice 



gtpUmbtv 17 261 



The meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight 
themselves in the abundance of peace, — Ps. xxxvii. 
II. 

Joy is Thy gift, O Father ! 

Thou wouldst not have us pine 5 
In darkest hours Thy comfort 

Doth aye most brightly shine ; 
Ah, then how oft Thy voice 

Hath shed its sweetness o'er me, 

And opened heaven before me, 
And bid my heart rejoice ! 

Paul Gerhardt. 

TO be with God, in whatever stage of being, 
under whatever conditions of existence, is 
to be in heaven. 

Dora Greenwell. 

I perceive we postpone all our joys of Christ, 
till He and we be in our own house above, think- 
ing that there is nothing of it here to be sought 
or found, but only hope and fair promises ; and 
that Christ will give us nothing here but tears, 
sadness, crosses; and that we shall never feel 
the smell of the flowers of that high garden of 
paradise above, till we come there. Nay, but I 
find it possible to find young glory, and a young 
green paradise of joy even here. We dream of 
hunger in Christ's house, while we are here, 
although He alloweth feasts to all the bairns 
within God's household. 

Samuel Rutherford. 



26i J^egtemljer 18 



Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abun- 
dantly above all that we ask or think, according to 
the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in 
the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, zvorld 
without end. Amen. — Eph. iii. 20, 21. 

ALL the simplest, most living, and most 
genuine Christians of our own time are 
such as rest their souls, day by day, on 
this confidence and promise of accruing power, 
and make themselves responsible, not for what 
they have in some inherent ability, but for what 
they can have in their times of stress and peril, 
and in the continual raising of their own personal 
quantity and power. Instead of gathering in 
their souls timorously beforehand upon the little 
sufficiency they find in possession, they look 
upon the great world God has made, and all the 
greater world of the Saviour's Kingdom in it, as 
being friendly and tributary, ready to pour in 
help, minister light, and strengthen' them to vic- 
tory, just according to their faith. And so they 
grow in courage, confidence, persona] volume, 
efficiency of every kind, and instead of slinking 
into their graves out of impotent lives, they lie 
down in the honors of heroes. 

Horace Bushnell. 



Expect great things from God, attempt great 
things for God. Wi LLIA M Carey. 



gpe#ttmhtv 19 263 



He that dwelletb in the secret place of the Most 
High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 
— Ps. xci. 1. 

AS soon as I woke in the morning I threw 
myself into the arms of Divine Love as a 
child does into its father's arms. I rose 
to serve Him, and to perform my daily labor 
simply that I might please Him. If I had time 
for prayer, I fell on my knees in His divine pres- 
ence, consecrated myself to Him, and begged Him 
that He would accomplish His holy will perfectly 
in me and through me, and that He would not 
permit me to offend Him in the least thing all 
through the day. I occupied myself with Him 
and His praise as long as my duties permitted. 
Very often, I had not leisure to say even so much 
as the Lord's Prayer during the day ; but that did 
not trouble me. I thought it as much my duty 
to work for Him as to pray to Him, for He 
Himself had taught me, that all that I should do 
for love of Him would be a true prayer. I 
loved Him and rejoiced in Him. If my occu- 
pations required all my attention, I had never- 
theless my heart turned towards Him ; and, as 
soon as they were finished, I ran to Him again, 
as to my dearest Friend. When evening came, 
and every one went to rest, I found mine only 
in the Divine Love, and fell asleep, still loving 
and adoring Him. Armelle Nicolas. 



264 gfrtpttmbtv 20 



Great peace have they which love Thy law ; arid 
they have none occasion of stumbling. — Ps. cxix. 
165 (R. V,). 

In Thy might all things I bear, 
In Thy love rind bitter sweet, 

And with all my grief and care, 
Sit in patience at Thy feet. 

A. H. Francke. 

TT THAT you need to do, is to put vour will 
^ Y over completely into the hands or' your 
Lord, surrendering to Him the entire 
control of it. Say, " Yes, Lord, yes ! " to 
everything, and trust Him so to work in vou to 
will, as to bring vour whole wishes and affections 
into conformity with His own sweet, and lov- 
able, and most lovely will. It is wonderful 
what miracles God works in wills that are utterlv 
surrendered to Him. He turns hard things into 
easy, and bitter things into sweet. It is not 
that He puts easy things in the place of the 
hard, but He actually changes the hard thin°; 
into an easv one. 

Hannah Whitall Smith. 

It has been well remarked, It is not said 
that after keeping God's commandments, but in 
keeping them there is great reward. God has 
linked these two things together, and no man 
can separate them — obedience and peace. 

F. W. Robertson. 



g?t#Utnhtv 21 265 



Choose life, . . . that thou mayest love the Lord 
thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and 
that thou mayest cleave unto Him ; for He is thy 
life, and the length of thy days. — Deut. xxx. 
19, 20. 

God gently calls us even- day : 
Why should we then our bliss delay ? 
He calls to heaven and endless light 5 
Why should we love the dreary night ? 

Praise, Lord, to Thee for Matthew's call, 
At which he rose and left his all ; 
Thou, Lord, e'en now art calling me \ 
I will leave all, and follow Thee. 

William Walsham How. 

OBEY His blessed call now, and, having 
obeyed it once, never again disobey any 
call within you, to do His will. While 
we mourn our neglect of past calls, our sorrow, 
which is still His gift and call within us, will 
draw down His gladdening look, which will 
anew call us unto Him. Pass we by no 
call which, however indistinctly, we may have, 
and He will cheer us with clearer and giadlier 
calls. Our very sorrow and fear will be our 
joy and hope; our very stumblings our strength, 
and dimness our light, while stumbling or in 
darkness we feel after Him who is our Stay, our 
Light, our Joy. 

Edward B. Pusey. 



266 Jrqjtemljfr 22 



Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery 
trial which is to try you, as though some strange 
thing happened unto you : but rejoice, inasmuch as 

ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings i Peter 

iv. 12, 13. 

Not more than I can bear I know 

Thou, dearest Lord, wilt on me lay, - 

And I can learn of Thee to go 
Unfearing on my way. 

Harriet McEvven Kimball. 

IT is a tremendous moment when first one is 
called upon to join the great army of those 
who suffer. That vast world of love and 
pain opens suddenly to admit us one by one 
within its fortress. We are afraid to enter into 
the land, yet you will, I know, feel how high is 
the call. It is as a trumpet speaking to us, that 
cries aloud, "It is your turn — endure." Play 
your part. As they endured before you, so 
now, close up the ranks — be patient and 
strong as they were. Since Christ, this world 
of pain is no accident untoward or sinister, but 
a lawful department of life, with experiences, 
interests, adventures, hopes, delights, secrets of 
its own. These are all thrown open to us as 
we pass within the gates — things that we could 
never learn or know or see, so long as we were 
well. God help you to walk through this world 
now opened to you, as through a kingdom, royal, 
and wide and glorious. 

Henry Scott Holland. 



gzzpttmhtv 23 267 



Take heed, and be quiet ; fear not, neither be 
faint-hearted. — Is A. vii. 4. 

THOUGH everything without fall into 
confusion, and though thy body be in 
pain and suffering, and thy soul in deso- 
lation and distress, yet let thy spirit be unmoved 
by it all, placid and serene, delighted in and 
with its God inwardly, and with His good 
pleasure outwardly. 

Gerhard Tersteegen. 

To say each morning, " I must have things 
weariful, painful, to bear to-day, and they shall 
all be offered up beforehand as my heart's sacri- 
fice ; they shall be, not fought against, but re- 
ceived calmly and as welcome, for His sake 
who suffers them to come," gives a dignity, a 
purpose, nay, a very joy to what otherwise is all 
cheerless annoyance. 

H. L, Sidney Lear. 

As soon as anything presents itself to your 
mind as a suffering, and you feel a repugnance 
to it, resign yourself immediately to God with 
respect to it ; give yourself up to Him in sac- 
rifice, and you will find that, when the cross 
arrives, it will not be so very burdensome, 
because you had disposed yourself to a willing 
reception of it. Madame Guyon. 



268 &tptetribtr 24 



Wait on the Lord ; be of good courage, and He 
shall strengthen thine heart ; wait, I say, on the Lord. 
— Ps. xxvii. 14. 

I ask not that my course be calm and still ; 
No, here too, Lord, be done Thy holy will : 

I ask but for a quiet childlike heart ; 
Though thronging cares and restless toil be mine, 
Yet may my heart remain forever Thine $ 

Draw it from earth, and fix it where Thou art. 

C. J. P. Spitta. 

TRUE union with God is to do His will 
without ceasing, in spite of all our nat- 
ural disinclination, in all the wearisome 
and painful duties of our condition. 

Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 

When persons have learnt to look upon the 
daily course of their ordinary life, with its duties 
and troubles, however common-place, as their 
offering to God, and as the safest school for 
themselves of perfection, they will have made 
a very important step in the spiritual life. 
Another step, so simple that it is often despised, 
is to do everything, however ordinary, as w T ell 
as it can possibly be done, for God's sake. A 
third is to be always pressing forward ; when a 
mistake is made, or a fault committed, to face 
and admit it freely ; but having asked God to 
supply the deficiency caused by our own infirm- 
ity, to go on steadfastly and hopefully. 

H. L. Sidney Lear. 



£?e#Umhtv 25 269 



He that in these things serveth Christ is accept- 
able to God, and approved of men. — Rom. xiv. 1 8. 

Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have 
respect unto all Thy commandments. — Ps. cxix. 6. 

TRUE fidelity consists in obeying God in 
all things, and in following the light that 
points out our duty, and the grace which 
guides us; taking as our rule of life the intention 
to please God in all things, and to do always 
not only what is acceptable to Him, but, if pos- 
sible, what is most acceptable; not trifling with 
petty distinctions between sins great and small, 
imperfections and faults, for, though there may 
be such distinctions, they should have no weight 
with the soul that is determined to do all His 
will. To this, sincere desire to do the will of 
God, v/e must add a cheerful spirit, that is not 
overcome when it has failed, but begins again 
and again to do better ; hoping always to the 
very end to be able to do it ; bearing with its 
own involuntary weakness, as God bears with 
it ; waiting with patience for the moment when 
it shall be delivered from it ; going straight on 
in singleness of heart, according to the strength 
that it can command ; losing no time by looking 
back, nor making useless reflections upon its 
falls, which can only embarrass and retard its 
progress. 

Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 



270 Jftptember 26 



Commit tby nay unto the Lord; trust also in Hi?n^ 
and He shall bring it to pass. — Ps. xxxvii. 5. 

Plan not, nor scheme, — but calmly wait 5 

His choice is best. 
While blind and erring is thy sight, 
His wisdom sees and judges right, 

So trust and rest. 

Adelaide A. Procter. 

v * REAT peace have thev which love My 

\JT law." They see that from Me, the 
sovereign Ruler of the world, who 
governeth all things w T ith infinite wisdom, order, 
and love, nothing but good can spring ; and that 
I can take care of them and their affairs far 
better and more successfuilv than thev could of 
themselves. Thus, considering that all that 
happens to them comes from Ale, they are 
strong with an invincible patience, and bear all 
things, not onlv with resignation, but with 
cheerfulness and joy, tasting in all things that 
befall them externallv or internallv the sweetness 
of My ineffable love. And this is to believe, 
and meditate with a cheerful and grateful spirit, 
even in the midst of tribulations and difficulties, 
that it is I who sweetlv dispose all things, and 
that whatever happens springs from the inex- 
haustible fountain of My goodness. 

St. Catharine of Siena 



Jrejptem&tr 27 271 



There is therefore now no condemnation to then 
which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the 
flesh, but after the Spirit. — Rom. viii. 1. 

IT maybe that recollections of the past hinder 
you, tut you must reject them; anxious 
thoughts may arise, put them away ; your 
faults seem to raise up a barrier, but no past 
faults can separate a loving heart from God. 

H. L. Sidxey Lear. 

Do not scrutinize so closely whether you 
are doing much or little, ill or well, so long; 
as what you do is not sinful, and that you are 
heartily seeking to do everything for God. 
Try as far as you can to do everything well, 
but when it is done do not think about it ; try 
rather to think of what is to be done next, 
Go on simply in the Lord's way, and do not 
torment yourself. We ought to hate our faults, 
but with a quiet, calm hatred, not pettishly and 
anxiously. We must learn to look patiently at 
them, and win through them the grace of self- 
abnegation and humility. Be constant and 
courageous, and rejoice that He has given you 
the will to be wholly His. 

St. Francis de Sales, 



272 Jtyptemfitr 28 



Even to your old age, I am He ; and even to 
hoar hairs -will I carry you ; I have made, and 1 
will bear ; even I will carry, and will deliver you. 
— Isa. xlvi. 4. 

The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even 
thousands of angels; the Lord is among them, as in 
Sinai, in the holy place. — Ps. lxviii. 17. 

I HAVE not a shadow of doubt that if all 
our eyes could be opened to-day, we should 
see our homes, and our places of business, 
and the streets we traverse, filled with the 
" chariots of God." There is no need for any 
one of us to walk for lack of chariots. That 
cross inmate of your household, who has hitherto 
made life a burden to you, and who has been 
the Juggernaut car to crush your soul into the 
dust, may henceforth be a glorious chariot to 
carry you to the heights of heavenly patience 
and long-suffering. That misunderstanding, that 
mortification, that unkindness, that disappoint- 
ment, that loss, that defeat, — all these are 
chariots waiting to earn' you to the very heights 
of victory you have so longed to reach. Mount 
into them, then, with thankful hearts, and lose 
sight of all second causes in the shining of His 
love who will carry you in His arms safely and 
triumphantly over it all. 

Hannah Whitall Smith. 



^eptemfier 29 273 



Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to 

minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation ? ■ 

Heb. i. 14. 

Near you in sympathy the angels stand, 
Their unseen hosts encompass you around ; 
Strong and unconquerable the glorious band, 
And loud their songs and hymns of victory sound. 
And near you, though invisible, are those, 
The good and just of every age and clime, 
Who while on earth have fought the self-same foes, 
And won the fight through faith and love sublime 5 
Let not the hosts of sin inspire a fear, 
For lo ! far mightier hosts are ever near ! 

Jones Very. 

WITH every evil overcome, and every 
new likeness of Christ inwardly put on, 
you are brought more completely within 
the circle of the great cloud of witnesses, the 
myriads of angels in full assembly, and the 
spirits of good men made perfect ; their strength 
passes mightily into your soul and their peace 
is laid brightly within the heart. This is one 
of the essential elements of our strength when 
we are supported and buoyed up in doing the 
Divine will. You are not marching alone. 
You feel it; you know it. Visible or invisible, 
a mighty host is with you; you are marching 
with them in countless and serried numbers ; 
one spirit moves the whole and lifts their feet, 
and they keep step to the same music. 

Edmund H. Sears, 

18 



2-4 Jbeptemfier 30 



Ye shall not fear them ; for the Lord your God 
He shall fight for you. — Deut. iii. 22. 

And behold God Himself is with us for our 
captain. — 2 CHRON. xiii. 12. 

Oh, for trust that brings the triumph 
When defeat seems strangely near ! 

Oh, for faith that changes righting 
Into victory's ringing cheer — 

Faith triumphant, knowing not defeat or fear ! 

Herbert Booth. 

HOPEFULNESS of final victory is ours, 
if we only remember that we are righting; 
God's battles. And can He know defeat r 
He who is the God of the great world around 
us is the God of the little world within. It is 
He who is contending in thee; thou art but His 
soldier, guided by His wisdom, strengthened by 
His might, shielded by His love. Keep thy 
will united to the Will of God, and final defeat 
is impossible ; for He is invincible. 

George Body. 

Our onlv victory ever temptations is through 
persisting courage, and an indomitable cheer- 
fulness. Frederick W. Faber. 

Courage, it shall be well : we follow a con- 
quering general; vea, who hath conquered 
already; and He that hath conquered for us shall 
ever conquer in us. Robert Leightow. 



<&ttahtv i 



Nevertheless, I am continually with Thee : Thou 
hast holden me by my right hand. — Ps. Ixxiii. 23. 

Faith is a grasping of Almighty power $ 
The hand of man laid on the arm of God \ 

The grand and blessed hour 
In which the things, impossible to me, 
Become the possible, O Lord, through Thee. 

Anna E. Hamilton. 

NOTHING is necessary for you in main- 
taining a triumphant Christian life, but 
just to stay by the helm, and put yourself 
in where the power is. Come unto God, unite 
yourself to God, and the doing power you have 
is infinite ! — and is none the less yours because 
it is His. Trim your ship steadily to the course, 
and God's own gales will waft it. 

Horace Bushnell. 

Gaze intently with the eye of faith at the 
infinite wisdom and omnipotence of God, to 
whom nothing is impossible or difficult, and 
consider that His goodness is unbounded, and 
unspeakable His willingness to give, hour by 
hour, and moment by moment, all things needful 
for the spiritual life, and for complete victory 
over self, if we will throw ourselves with con- 
fidence into His arms. Lorenzo Scupoli. 



Whatever God tells us to do, He also helps 
us to do. Dora Greenwell. 



276 



And in every work that he began in the service 
of the house of God, and in the law, and in the 
commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all 
his heart, and prospered. — 2 Chron. xxxi. 21. 

Help me in Christ to learn to do Thy will, 
That I may have from Him eternal life ; 
And here on earth Thy perfect love fulfil, 
Then home return victorious from the strife. 

Jones Very. 

THERE is no other way in which one's 
life will be so surely, so quickly trans- 
figured, as in the faithful, happy, cheerful 
doing of every-day tasks. We need to remember 
that this world is not so much a place for doing 
things as for making character. Right in the 
midst of what some people call drudgery is the 
very best place to get the transformed, trans- 
figured life. The doing of common tasks 
patiently, promptly, faithfully, cheerfully, makes 
the character beautiful and bright. ' But we 
must take heed always that we do our tasks, 
whatever they are, with love in our heart. 
Doing any kind of work unwillingly, with com- 
plaint and murmuring, hurts the life. 

J. R. Miller. 

God weigheth more with how much love a 
man worketh, than how much he doeth. He 
doeth much that loveth much. He doeth much 
that doeth a thing well. Thomas a Kempis. 



ifoctsibtv 3 



277 



These things I have spoken unto you, that in me 
ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have 
tribulation : but be of good cheer ; I have overcome 
the world, — John xvi. 33. 

Thee will I love, my Crown of gladness, 
Thee will I love, my God and Lord, 

Amid the darkest depths of sadness ; 
Not for the hope of high reward, — 

For Thine own sake, O Light Divine, 
So long as life is mine. 

JOHANN SCHEFFLER. 

WHAT is the secret of serenity ? We 
all want to know it. Indeed, we do 
know it already. There is no secret 
about it. St. Paul speaks it out plainly enough. 
Everybody can see what it is, All things work 
together for good to them that love God. We 
must love God; that is the heart of it. Happi- 
ness, content, and right satisfaction, all doubts 
answered, all dark places lighted up, heaven 
begun here — this is the reward of loving God. 
In this world, tribulation ; yes, but good cheer 
in spite of that, for the Son of God, whom we 
love, has overcome the world. 

George Hodges. 

Man's happiness consists in present peace, 
even in the midst of the greatest trials, and in 
more than hope of a glorious future. 

Charles G. Gordon, 



278 



Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of 
His dominion : bless the Lord, O my soul. — Ps. 
ciii. 22. 

OMOST high, almighty, good Lord God, 
to Thee belong praise, glory, honor, and 
all blessing. 

Praised be my Lord God with all His creat- 
ures, and specially our brother the sun, who 
brings us the day ; fair is he and shines with a 
very great splendor ; O Lord, he signifies to us 
Thee. Praised be my Lord for our sister the 
moon, and for the stars, the which He has set 
clear and lovely in heaven. 

Praised be my Lord for our sister water, who 
is very serviceable unto us, and humble and 
precious and clean. Praised be Thou, my Lord, 
for our brother fire ; he is bright and pleasant 
and very mighty and strong. Praised be my 
Lord for our mother the earth, who doth sustain 
us and keep us, and bringeth forth divers fruits 
and flowers of many colors, and grass. 

Praised be my Lord for all those who pardon 
one another for His love's sake, and who endure 
weakness and tribulation. Praised be Thou, my 
Lord, for our sister, the death of the body, from 
which no man escapeth. 

Praise ye and bless ye the Lord, and give 
thanks unto Him and serve Him with great 
humility. St. Francis of Assisi. 



<&ttahev 5 



// is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, 
and to sing praises unto Thy name, O most High : 
to show forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, 
and Thy faithfulness every night. — Ps. xcii I, 2. 

Praise to the Holiest in the height, 

And in the depth be praise ; 
In all His words most wonderful, 

Most sure in all His ways. 

John Henry Newman. 

IF our hearts were tuned to praise, we should 
see causes unnumbered, which we had never 
seen before, for thanking God. Thanks- 
giving is spoken of as a " sacrifice well pleasing 
unto God." It is a far higher offering than 
prayer. When we pray we ask for things 
which we want ; or we tell out our sorrows. 
We pray, in order to bring down blessings upon 
ourselves ; we praise, because our hearts over- 
flow with love to God, and we must speak it 
out to Him. It flows out of pure love, and 
then the love goes back to our hearts, and warms 
them anew, and revives and quickens them. 

Priscilla Maurice. 

Learn the lesson of thanksgiving. It is due 
to God, it is due to ourselves. Thanksgiving 
for the past makes us trustful in the present and 
hopeful for the future. What He has done is 
the pledge of what He will do. 

A. C. A. Hall. 



28o 



#rtff6er 6 



Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. 
— Ps. xxxvii. 7. 

Is it the Lord that shuts me in ? 

Then I can bear to wait ! 
No place so dark, no place so poor, 
So strong and fast no prisoning door, 

Though walled by grievous fate, 
But out of it goes fair and broad 
An unseen pathway, straight to God, 

By which I mount to Thee. 

Susan Coolidge. 

WE cannot be useless while we are doing 
and suffering God's will, whatever it 
may be found to be. And we can 
always do that. If we are bringing forth the 
fruits of the Spirit, we are not useless. And 
we can always do that. If we are increasing 
in the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom 
and spiritual understanding, we are not useless. 
And we can always do that. While we pray 
we cannot be useless. And we can always do 
that. God will always find us a work to do, a 
niche to fill, a place to serve, nay, even a soul 
to save, when it is His will, and not ours, that 
we desire to do ; and if it should please Him 
that we should sit still for the rest of our lives, 
doing nothing else but waiting on Him, and 
waiting for Him, why should we complain ? 
Mere is the patience of the saints. 

Anthony W. Thorold. 



<&ctabtv 7 



281 



As his share is that goeth down to the battle, so 
shall his share be that tarrieth by the stuff: they 
shall share alike. — 1 Sam. xxx. 24 (R. V.). 

Worship or service, — which ? Ah, that is best 

To which He calls us, be it toil or rest, 

To labor for Him in life's busy stir, 
Or seek His feet, a silent worshipper. 

Caroline A. Mason. 

LET us no more yearn for present employ- 
ment when God's providence bids us " be 
still," than we would think it good to yearn 
after cessation while God bids work. Shall we 
not miss a blessing if we call rest a weariness and 
a discontent, no less than if we called God's work 
a thankless labor ? If we would be holv in body 
and spirit, shall we not keep smooth brow, light 
heart, whether He bids us serve His table, or 
wait our summons ? 

Edward White Benson. 

He who acts with a view to please God 
alone, wishes to have that only which it 
pleases God that he should have, and at 
the time and in the way which may be most 
agreeable to Him; and, whether he have it or 
not, he is equally tranquil and contented, because 
in either case he obtains his wish, and fulfils his 
intention, which was no other than purely to 
please God. 

Lorenzo Scupoli. 



282 



Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. 
— Rev. ii. 10. 

Let Thy tender mercies come unto me, that I ?nay 
live : for Thy law is my delight. — Ps. cxix. 77. 

O blessed life ! the heart at rest 

When all without tumultuous seems ; 
That trusts a higher Will, and deems 

That higher Will, not mine, the best. 

William Tidd Matson. 

NOTHING is so trying to nature as sus- 
pense between a faint hope and a mighty 
fear ; but we must have faith as to the 
extent of our trials, as in all else. Our sensitive- 
ness makes us often disposed to fancy that we 
are tried beyond our strength ; but we really 
know neither our strength to endure nor the 
nature of God's trials. Only He who knows 
both these, and every turn of the hearts which 
He has made, knows how to deal out a due 
proportion. Let us leave it all to Him, and be 
content to bear in silence. 

Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 

It is not the sunnv side of Christ that we 
must look to, and we must not forsake Him for 
want of that. Oh, how sweet a thing were it 
for us to learn to make our burdens light, by 
framing our hearts to the burden, and making 
our Lord's will a law ! Samuel Rutherford. 



<&ctabtv 9 283 



So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and 
is not rich toward God, — Luke xii. 2 1 . 

IT seems as if God gathered into His store- 
house, from each of our lives, fruit in which 
He delights. And the daily cross-bearings 
and self-denials, the bright word spoken when 
head and heart are weary, the meek endurance 
of misunderstanding, the steady going on in 
one unbroken round, with a patient cheerfulness 
that knows nothing of " moods," — all these are 
garnered there, and add to our riches towards 
Him. H. Bowman. 

It is a great matter to learn to look upon 
troubles and trials not as simply evils. How 
can that be evil which God sends ? And those 
who can repress complaints, murmurs, and 
peevish bemoaning — better still, the vexed feel- 
ings which beset us when those around inflict 
petty annoyances and slights on us — -will 
really find that their little daily worries are 
turning into blessings. H. L. Sidney Lear. 

Just to leave in His dear hand 

Little things 5 
All we cannot understand, 

All that stings. 
Just to let Him take the care 

Sorely pressing, 
Finding all we let Him bear 

Changed to blessing. 

Frances R. Havergal. 



284 October 10 



Our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have 
trusted in His holy name. — Ps. xxxiii. 21. 

Take anxious care for nought, 

To God your wants make known ; 
And soar on wings of heavenly thought 

Toward His eternal throne ; 
So, though our path is steep, 

And many a tempest lowers, 
Shall His own peace our spirits keep, 

And Christ's dear love be ours. 

John Moultrie. 

CHERISH thankfulness with prayer. St. 
Paul gives us in two words this secret of 
peace. u In everything," (he excepts 
nothing, so do not you) " by prayer and suppli- 
cation with thanksgiving let your requests be 
made known unto God. And the peace of 
God which passeth all understanding shall keep 
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." 
He does not say it as a benediction only : he tells 
us, it " shall keep your hearts and minds." Do 
the one and God will do the other. Ask what 
you will, be thankful ; and not peace only, but 
peace which passeth all which our poor minds 
can think, shall keep these poor breaking, restless 
hearts — these ever wearying, worrying minds 
of ours — in Christ Jesus. 

E. B. Pusey. 



i&ttahtv ii 285 



The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I 
not drink it ? — John xviii. 1 1. 

Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, 
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, 
and perfect will of God. — Rom. xii. 2. 

WE are often greatly hindered in the fulfil- 
ment of our duties by an unconscious 
clinging to self, which holds us back 
from God, and which leads us to seek our rest 
in something other than the simple fulfilment of 
His most holy will. If we honestly sought 
nothing save His will, we should always be in a 
state of perfect peace, let what may happen. 
But, very often, even when we ask that God's 
will may be done, we still wish it to be done 
after our fashion. Pere Hyacinthe Bessox. 

When we are fully delivered from the influ- 
ence of selfish considerations, and have become 
conformed to the desires and purposes of the 
Infinite Mind, we shall drink the cup, and drink 
it cheerfully, whatever it may be. In a word, 
we shall necessarily be submissive and happy in 
all trials, and in every change and diversity of 
situation. Not because we are seeking happi- 
ness, or thinking of happiness, as a distinct 
object, but because the glorious will of Him 
whom our soul loves supremely, is accomplished 
m us - Thomas C. Upham. 



286 (Drtufcer 12 



Te said also, Behold, what a weariness is it. 

Mal. i. 13. 

My soul cleaveth urito the dust ; quicken Thou me 
according to Thy word, — Ps. cxix. 25. 

Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the 
dead, and Christ shall give thee light. — Eph. v. 
H- 

THERE are some who give up their prayers 
because they have so little feeling in their 
prayers — so little warmth of feeling. 
But who told us that feeling was to be a test 
of prayer ? The work of praver is a far too 
noble and necessary work to be laid aside for any 
lack of feeling. Press on, you who are dry and 
cold in your prayers, press on as a work and as 
a duty, and the Holy Spirit will, in His good 
time, refresh your prayers Himself. 

Arthur F. Winnington Ingram. 

You do not feel in the spirit of prayer; you 
have no spiritual uplift ; you are simply indiffer- 
ent. Give that unhappy mood no heed. You 
know very well what you ought to do. You 
ought to present yourself before God ; you ou^ht 
to say your prayers. Do that, and the devout 
attitude, the bended knees, the folded hands, the 
quiet and the silence, the lips busied with holy 
words, will induce the consciousness of the 
divine presence, and help you to pray in spirit 
and in truth. George Hodges. 



<&ttabtv 13 



287 



We have known and believed the love that God 
hath to us. — 1 John, iv, 16. 

Not what I am, O Lord, but what Thou art ! 

That, that alone can be my soul's true rest 5 
Thy love, not mine, bids fear and doubt depart, 

And stills the tempest of my tossing breast. 

HORATIUS BONAR. 

WHEN you go to prayer, your first thought 
must be : The Father is in secret, the 
Father waits me there. Just because 
your heart is cold and prayerless, get you into 
the presence of the loving Father. As a father 
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth you. Do 
not be thinking of how little you have to bring 
God, but of how much He wants to give you. 
Just place yourself before Him, and look up into 
His face ; think of His love, His wonderful, 
tender, pitying love. Tell Him how sinful and 
cold and dark all is; it is the Father's loving 
heart will give light and warmth to yours. 

Andrew Murray. 

God is not found in multiplicity, but in sim- 
plicity of thoughts and words. If one word 
suffice for your prayer, keep to that word, and to 
whatever short sentence will unite your heart 
with God. 

Margaret Mary Hallahan. 



288 <9ctflri)«' 14 



My soul melteth for heaviness : strengthen Thou 
?ne according unto Thy word. — Ps. cxix. 28. 

That their hearts might be comforted, being knit 
together in love. — Col. ii. 2. 

When I am with Thee as Thou art with me, 

Life will be self-forgetting power j 
Love, ever conscious, buoyant, clear, and free 

Will flame in darkest hour. 

George Macdonald. 




VERYTHING becomes possible to those 
who love. The commands of the Lord 



are no longer grievous, for the soul that 
loves is gifted by that love with fresh energies ; 
it discovers in itself unsuspected possibilities, 
and is supplied with ever-flowing currents of 
new vigor. We shall be enabled to do so 
much if only we love. We live by loving, and 
the more we love the more we live; and there- 
fore, when life feels dull and the spirits are low, 
turn and love God, love your neighbor, and you 
will be healed of your wound. Love Christ, 
the dear Master; look at His face, listen to His 
words, and love will waken, and you will do all 
things through Christ who strengtheneth you. 

Henry Scott Holland. 

The noble love of Jesus impels a man to do 
great things, and stirs him up to be always long- 
ing for what is more perfect. 

Thomas a Kempis 



<&ttohtv 15 



289 



This commandment have we from Him, That he 
who loveth God love his brother also. — 1 John iv. 
21. 

He who loves God all else above, 

His own shall also clasp 
In circles ampler far of love 

Than weaker arms can grasp ; 
And farther down through space and time 
His sympathies descend and climb. 

Sir Aubrey de Vere. 

THE true proficiency of the soul consists 
not so much in deep thinking, or eloquent 
speaking, or beautiful writing ; as in much 
and warm loving. Now, if you ask me in what 
way this much and warm love may be acquired, 
I answer, — By resolving to do the will of God, 
and by watching to do His will as often as occa- 
sion offers. Those who truly love God love 
all good wherever they find it. They seek all 
good to all men. They commend all good, 
they always acknowledge and defend all good. 
They have no quarrels. They bear no envy. 
O Lord, give me more and more of this blessed 
love! It will be a magnificent comfort in the 
hour of death to know that we are on our way 
to be judged by Him whom we have loved 
above all things. We are not going to a strange 
country, since it is His country whom we love 
and who loves us. 

St. Teresa. 

l 9 



290 



(Drtff&er 16 



Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and 
clamor, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, 
with all malice. — Eph. iv. 31. 

The wider vision of the mind ; 

The spirit bright with sun 5 
The temper like a fragrant wind, 

Chilling and grieving none ; 
The quickened heart to know God's will, 

And on His errands run. 

Susan Coolidge. 

IT is of the very greatest moment to know 
the occasions of our sin, and the way in 
which it shows itself. To know the occa- 
sions, puts us on our guard ; to know how our 
sin shows itself, gives us the means of stopping 
it. Thus, as to these occasions ; one is made 
angry, if he is found fault with roughly, or even 
at all, or slighted, or spoken slightly of, or laughed 
at, or kept waiting, or treated rudely, or hurt 
even unintentionally, or if his will is crossed, 
or he is contradicted, or interrupted, or not 
attended to, or another be preferred to him, or 
if he cannot succeed in what he has to do. 
These sound little things when we speak of 
them in the presence of God, and in the sight 
of eternity. But these and such like little things 
make up our daily trials, our habits of mind, our 
life; our likeness or unlikeness to God, who 
made us in His own image \ our eternity. 

E. B. Pusey. 



<&ctahtv 17 



291 



Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents 
and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy : and 
nothing shall by any means hurt you, — Luke x. 19. 

Shed down on me Thy mighty power, 
To strengthen for each coming hour ; 

And then, through flood, through fire and sword, 
I '11 follow Thee, my Lord, my Lord ! 

JOHANN RAMBACH. 

WHY do we grow so little in grace ? It 
is because we do not use our intellect 
to meditate upon the forces of the un- 
seen world amidst which we live, or our will to 
draw upon them. We know that we are weak, 
and sin and Satan are strong, and we know the 
truth. But there is a third power stronger than 
either our weakness or the forces of evil, which 
we commonly forget, and which will never 
disclose itself except in our using of it. We 
must stir up the gift within us. Within us we 
have the Spirit of power, the Spirit of Jesus, the 
life of Jesus. It remains to us to appeal to it ; 
in constant acts of faith to draw upon it and to 
use it. Thus it will become to each of us as 
much a truth of experience as it was to St. Paul, 
and no vague language of metaphor, that "it is 
no longer merely I that live, but Christ that 
liveth in me." Charles Gore. 



292 



<Drt0i)tr 18 



Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, 
worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal 
weight of glory. — 2 Cor. iv. 17. 

Only be still, and wait His leisure 
In cheerful hope, with heart content 

To take whatever thy Father's pleasure, 
And all-discerning love hath sent ; 

Nor doubt our inmost wants are known 

To Him who chose us for His own. 

Georg Neumark, 1657. 

OH, how is the face of life altered, as soon 
as a man has in earnest made his first 
object to do his Father's will! Oh, 
how do, what before seemed grievous burdens, 
bodily sickness, domestic trial, privations, losses, 
bereavement, the world's scorn, man's un- 
thankfulness, or whatever grief his Father may 
put upon him, how . do these things change! 
To those, whose hope is in heaven, evervthing 
becomes a means of discipline, an instrument 
of strengthening their cheerful acceptance of 
their Father's will. Their irksome tasks, pri- 
vations, sickness, heaviness of heart, unkindness 
of others, and all the sorrows which their Father 
allots them in this world, are so many means of 
conforming them to their Saviour's image. 
Then doth everything which God doeth with 
them seem to them " very good," even because 
He doth it. 

Edward B. Pusey. 



<&ctabtv 19 293 



O my Father, if this cup may not pass away 
from me except I drink it, Thy will be done. — 
Matt. xxvi. 42. 

To do or not to do, — to have, 
Or not to have I leave to Thee ; 

To be or not to be, I leave, — 
Thv onlv will be done to me : 

All my requests are lost in one, 

Father, Thv onlv will be done ! 

C. Wesley. 

Dear Lord, in all our loneliest pains 

Thou hast the largest share, 
And that which is unbearable, 

1 Tis Thine, not ours, to bear. 

Frederick W. Faber. 

OFFER thyself as a sacrifice to God in 
peace and quietness of spirit. And the 
better to proceed in this journey, and 
support thyself without weariness and disquiet, 
dispose thv soul at every step, by widening out 
thy will to meet the Will of God. The more 
thou dost widen it, the more wilt thou receive. 
Thy will must be disposed as follows : to will 
everything and to will nothing, if God wills it 
or wills it not. Lorenzo Scupoli. 

You must make, at least once every week, a 
special act of love to God's will above all else, 
and that not only in things supportable, but also 
in things insupportable. 

St. Francis de Sales. 



294 <&ctabtv 20 



My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they 
that watch for the morning : I say, more than they 
that watch for the morning. — Ps. cxxx. 6. 

The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. 

Ps. xviii. 28. 

A SOUL that is patient waits with calm 
endurance for light before acting, and in 
virtue of this calm and patient endurance 
suffers no pain or anxiety, because the soul pos- 
sesses herself and waits for light ; and when the 
mind waits patiently for light, sooner or later it 
is sure to come. Trials of mind affect us more 
deeply than pains of body, and if we give way 
to anxiety such trials become troubles, and are 
immensely increased. But this cannot happen 
to those patient souls, who feel that they are in 
the hands of God, and are encircled with His 
fatherly providence, and that all things are in 
His disposal. When we see not our way through 
some trial or difficulty, we have only to look to 
God, and to wait in patience, and in due time 
His light will come and guide us. This very 
attitude of waiting, this very patience of expect- 
ing, will dispose the mind to receive, and the 
will to rightly use, the needful light. When- 
ever you are perplexed as to what course you 
should take, if you go blindly into action you 
will be sure to repent it. Wait for light, wait 
with patience, and light will not fail you. 

William Bernard Ullathorne. 



<©(tul)*r 21 295 



Thou shalt speak all these words unto them ; but 
they will not hearken to thee, — Jer. vii. 27. 

HIS eyes were bright with intelligence and 
trained powers of observation ; and they 
were beautiful with kindliness, and with 
the well-bred habit of giving complete attention 
to other people and their affairs when he talked 
with them. Juliana H. Ewing. 

There is a grace of kind listening, as well as 
a grace of kind speaking. Some men listen 
with an abstracted air, which shows that their 
thoughts are elsewhere. Or they seem to listen, 
but by wide answers and irrelevant questions 
show that they have been occupied with their 
own thoughts, as being more interesting, at least 
in their own estimation, than what you have 
been saying. Some interrupt, and will not hear 
you to the end. Some hear you to the end, 
and then forthwith begin to talk to you about a 
similar experience which has befallen themselves, 
making your case only an illustration of their 
own. Some, meaning to be kind, listen with 
such a determined, lively, violent attention, that 
you are at once made uncomfortable, and the 
charm of conversation is at an end. Many 
persons, whose manners will stand the test of 
speaking, break down under the trial of listening. 
But all these things should be brought under the 
sweet influences of religion. 

Frederick Wm. Faber. 



296 



Te have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. 

John xv. 16. 

Te are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I com- 
mand you. — John xv. 14. 

We have not chosen Thee, 

But us Thou deign'st to choose, — - 
Not servants, but Thy friends to be, 

Whom Thou wilt never lose: 
For never wilt Thou change — 

Who art all change above : 
Nor life nor death shall us estrange 

From Thy most perfect love. 

George B. Bubier. 

WE offer Christ the submission of our 
hearts, and the obedience of our lives ; 
and He offers us His abiding Presence. 
We take Him as our Master, and He takes us 
as His friends. Our Lord takes us up into a 
relationship of love with Himself, and we go 
out into life inspired with His spirit to work 
His work. It begins with the self-surrender of 
love; and love, not fear or favor, becomes the 
motive. To feel thus the touch of God on our 
lives changes the world. Its fruits are joy and 
peace, and confidence that all the events of life 
are suffused, not only with meaning, but with a 
meaning of love. The soul that is bound by 
this personal attachment to Jesus has a life in 
the eternal, which transfigures the life in time 
with a great joy. Hugh Black. 



Octabtv 23 



Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth 
us to triumph in Christ, — 2 Cor. ii. 14. 

Fight the good fight 

With all thy might ; 
Christ is thy Strength, and Christ thy Right ; 

Lay hold on life, 

And it shall be 
Thy joy and crown eternally. 

J. B. S. MONSELL. 

LET the first act on waking be to place 
yourself, your heart, mind, faculties, your 
whole being, in God's hands. Ask Him 
to take entire possession of you, to be the Guide 
of your soul, your Life, your Wisdom, your 
Strength. He wills that we seek Him in all 
our needs, that we may both know Him truly, 
and draw closer and closer to Him ; and in 
prayer we gain an inyisible force which will 
triumph oyer seemingly hopeless difficulties. 

H. L. Sidney Lear. 

Howeyer matters go, it is our happiness to 
win new ground daily in Christ's loye, and to 
purchase a new piece of it daily, and to add 
conquest to conquest. Samuel Rutherford. 

This ought to be our endeavor, — to conquer 
ourselves, and daily to wax stronger, and to 
make a further growth in holiness. 

Thomas a Kempis. 



298 



Tour life is hid with Christ in God. — Col. 
iii. 3. 

Put on therefore a heart of compassion, kindness, 
humility, longsujffering ; forbearing one another, and 
forgiving each other; even as the Lord forgave 
you so also do ye. — Col. iii. 12-13 (R. V.). 

It is not the deed we do, 

Though the deed be never so fair, 

But the love that the dear Lord looketh for, 
Hidden with holy care 
In the heart of the deed so fair. 

Harriet McEwen Kimball. 

THESE are duties which belong to us alike, 
whatever our outward lot be, whether 
rich or poor, honored or despised, amid 
outward joys or sorrows. For as our life is 
hidden in Christ, so have we all an outward and 
an inward, a hidden life. Outwardly, we seem 
busied for the most part about common things, 
with trivial duties, worthless tasks. Inwardly 
we are, or ought to be, studying how, in all, 
to please God, walking in His sight, doing them 
in His Presence, seeking to know how He 
would have them done. So amid trivial things 
we may be, nay men are, in every station of 
life, pleasing God, that is, leading angels' lives, 
in that they are doing His will on earth, as the 
angels in heaven. They are " servants of His, 
doing His pleasure. " Edward B. Pusey. 



(Drtnfitr 25 



299 



My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, 
and to finish His work. — John iv. 34. 

They who tread the path of labor follow where My feet 
have trod $ 

They who work without complaining do the holy will of 
God. 

Henry van Dyke. 

WHENCE comes it that we have so 
many complaints, each saving that his 
occupation is a hindrance to him, while 
notwithstanding his work is of God, who hin- 
dered) no man : Whence ccmes this inward 
reproof and sense of guilt which torment and 
disquiet you : Dear children, know that it is 
not your work which gives you this disquiet. 
Xo ; it is Your want of order in fulfilling Your 
work. If you performed vour work in the right 
method, with a sole aim to God, and not to 
Yourselves, Your own likes and dislikes, nor 
sought vour own g;ain or pleasure, but only 
God's glory, in vour work, it would be impossi- 
ble that it should grieve vour conscience. It is 
a shame for a man if he have not done his work 
properly, but so imperfectly that he has to be 
rebuked for it. For this is a sure sign that his 
works are not done in God, with a view to His 
glory and the good of his neighbor. 

John Tauler. 



(Drtfffccr 26 



I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and bid- 
den riches of secret places, that thou may est know 
that Z, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am 
the God of Israel. — Is a. xlv. 3. 

God ! Thou art Love ! I build my faith on that! 
I know Thee, Thou hast kept my path and made 
Light for me in the darkness — tempering sorrow, 
So that it reached me like a solemn joy ■ 
It were too strange that I should doubt Thy love. 

Robert Browning. 

IF I believe in God, in a Being who made 
me, and fashioned me, and knows my wants 
and capacities and necessities, because He 
gave them to me, and who is perfectly good 
and loving, righteous, and perfectly wise and 
powerful, — whatever my circumstances inward 
or outward may be, however thick the darkness 
which encompasses me, I vet can trust, vea, 
be assured, that all will be 'well, that He 'can 
draw light out of darkness, and make crooked 
things straight. Thomas Erskine, 

Though sorrows, heaviness, and faintings of 
heart ever so much increase ; yet, if thy faith 
increase also, it will bear thee up in the midst 
ot them. I would fain have it go well with 
thee, and that thou mightest not want the holv 
Counsellor and Adviser, in any strait or difficulty 
which the wise and tender God orders to befall 
t ^ ee * Isaac Penington. 



<&ctabtv 27 



Strengthened with all might, according to His 
glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering 
with joy fulness. — Col. i. 11. 

Rejoice in Christ alway ! 

When earth looks heavenly bright, 
When joy makes glad the livelong day, 

And peace shuts in the night. 
Rejoice, when care and woe 

The fainting soul oppress, 
When tears at wakeful midnight flow, 

And morn brings heaviness. 

John Moultrie. 

A GREAT point is gained when we have 
learned not to struggle against the cir- 
cumstances God has appointed for us. 

H. L. Sidney Lear. 

All mental discomfort comes from our minds 
being in divergence from God's; when the two 
are agreed no warfare occurs, for they work to- 
gether, and man's mind accepts God's rule, but 
reason tells us that disagreement must bring; 
conflicts. He will have His wav, and would 
have us accept all events with the knowledge 
that He is love, whatever and however con- 
tradictory those events may be to our compre- 
hension of Him. Charles George Gordox. 

Something is wrong, when the Christian can- 
not rejoice in all the dear dispensations of his 

Father's providence. r« IT3rTT r 

r Isabella Campbell, 182;, 



302 



(Dcttffcer 28 



Who then is willing to consecrate his service this 
day unto the Lord? — 1 Chron. xxix. 5. 

My blessed task from day to day 
Is humbly, gladly, to obey. 

Harriet McEwen Kimball. 

THE only way to restore a weakened will 
is by exercising itself in details of duty, 
it may be in smallest acts of obedience, 
regularly done, " here a little, and there a little," 
content to grow by slow degrees into the use 
of lost powers through repeated acts of observ- 
ance however trivial or unobserved. Faithful- 
ness to every smallest call of obedience, as it 
comes, is the means of gaining gradual acces- 
sions of strength, and thus tending more and 
more to higher degrees of conformity to the 
Will of God. Only by such simple practical 
dutifulness can habits be formed. 

T. T. Carter. 

Break off some one evil, seek to uproot some 
one sin, cut off some one self-indulgence, deny 
thyself some one vanity ; do it as an offering to 
God, for the love of God, in hope once to see 
God; and some gleam of faith, and life, and 
love will stream down upon thy soul from the 
everlasting Fount of love. Follow on, and thou 
shalt never lose that track of light. 

Edward B. Pusey. 



i&ctahev 29 



/ will walk at liberty: for I seek Thy precepts. — 
Ps. cxix. 45. 

To be made with Thee one spirit, 

Is the boon that I lingering ask, 
To have no bar 'twixt my soul and Thine 5 
My thoughts to echo Thy will divine, 

Myself Thy servant for any task. 

Lucy Larcom. 

THERE is more effort, more steadfastness, 
involved in a diligent attention to little 
duties than appears at first sight, and that 
because of their continual recurrence. Such 
heed to little things implies a ceaseless listening 
to the whispers of grace, a strict watchfulness 
against every thought, wish, word or act which 
can offend God ever so little, a constant effort 
to do everything as perfectly as possible. All 
this, however, must be done with a free, child- 
like spirit, without restlessness and anxiety. He 
does not ask a fretted, shrinking service. Give 
yourself to Him, trust Him, fix your eye upon 
Him, listen to His voice, and then go on bravely 
and cheerfully, never doubting for an instant 
that His grace will lead you in small things as 
well as great, and will keep you from offending 
His law of love. 

Jean Nicolas Grou. 



In quietness and in eo?j fide tic e shall be you?' 
strength. — Isa. xxx. 15. 

Be still, my soul — for just as thou art still, 
Can God reveal Himself to thee 5 until 

Through thee His love, and light, and life can freely 
flow. 

In stillness God can work through thee and reach 
The souls around thee. He then through thee can teach 
His lessons — and His power in weakness show. 

Bessie Porter. 

WE are always wanting to be doing, to be 
giving, to be planning for the future, to 
be mapping out all our life; instead 
of resting and receiving day bv dav, leaving the 
morrow to our God, and rejoicing in Jesus 
Christ amidst all our falls and failures. Instead 
of going on rejoicing in Jesus, we are tempted 
to despond, and to go on desponding, after every 
failure, negligence, and sin. 

George H. Wilkinson. 

We seek God afar off, in projects perhaps 
altogether unattainable, and we do not con- 
sider that we possess Him now in the midst 
of confusion, bv the exercise of simple faith, 
provided we bear humblv and bravelv the annov- 
ances which come from others, and our own 
imperfections. 

Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 



<&ctaber 31 



Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord 
thy God led thee. — Deut. viii. 2. 

Not mindless of the growing years 

Of care and loss and pain, 
My eyes are wet with thankful tears 

For blessings that remain. 

J. G. Whittier. 

THE years of available and happy life which 
have been already enjoyed ought to 
be the cause of thankfulness, even if 
"the days of darkness" were many. "The 
sorrow's crown of sorrow is remembering hap- 
pier things/' says Tennyson. Surely, in the 
sphere of Faith, at least, there is some mistake 
here. " For what we have received the Lord 
make us truly thankful." 

James Smetham. 

_ A bright, happy soul, rejoicing in all God's 
gifts, seeing cause for thankfulness and gladness 
in everything, counting up mercies rather than 
trials, looking at the bright side, even of sickness, 
bereavement, and death — what a very foun- 
tain of goodness and love of Christ such an one 
is ! I remember one who, worn with sickness 
and sleepless nights, answered to the question 
if the nights did not seem interminable : " Oh 
no, I lie still, and count up my blessings ! " 

H. L. Sidney Lear. 



3°6 $}abtmbtv i 



That He might gather together in one all things 
in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are 
on earth, — Eph. i. 10. 

For all the saints who from their labors rest, 
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed, 
Thy name, O Jesu, be for ever blessed. 

Alleluia ! 

Oh, blest communion ! fellowship divine ! 
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine y 
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine. 

Alleluia ! 
William W. How. 

IN the glorious company of the apostles, the 
goodly fellowship of the prophets, the noble 
army of martyrs, the holy Church through- 
out all the world is one. Therefore year by 
year let us reverently commemorate their names, 
remembering what they were, but steadfastly 
gazing at what they are. Their very words are 
still ringing in our ears : of some the beloved 
image too is full before us. Let us live as they 
would bid us, could they still speak : let us fulfil 
their known behests, following in their steps, 
filling up the works that they began, carrying 
on their hallowed offices, now bequeathed to 
our care ; let us be like them in deadness to 
sin, and unceasing homage to our unseen 
Lord. As we grow holier, we grow nearer to 
them ; to be like them is to be with them ; 
even now they are not far from us, we know 
not how nigh. Henry Edward Manning. 



$}tshtmbtv 2 307 



Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made 
us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the 
saints in light. — Col. i. 12. 

Not their own, ah ! not from earth was flowing 

That high strain to which their souls were tuned 5 
Year by year we saw them inly growing 

Liker Him with whom their hearts communed. 
Then to Him they passed j but still unbroken, 

Age to age, lasts on that goodly line, 
Whose pure lives are, more than all words spoken, 

Earth' s best witness, to the life divine. 

John Campbell Shairp. 

ONLY to remember that such have been, 
that we walked for a season with them, 
is a chastening, a purifying, yea, and 
however much we may miss and mourn them, 
a gladdening thought. 

Richard Chenevix Trench. 

The beatitude of the Saints is the matured 
result of the long course of patient strivings, 
which may have passed wholly unobserved 
because of their minuteness. One step has 
followed another in the mysterious progress 
of daily, hourly acts, each seeming to pass 
away, as footprints on the sand are obliter- 
ated by the advancing tide ; but the end is the 
Vision of God, and the recompense is the per- 
fection of a nature made one with the Mind of 
God. T. T. Carter. 



3°8 mabembtv 3 



Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him. 

Job xiii. 15. 

Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver ; 

I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. 

Isa. xlviii. 10. 

I will not let Thee go ; Thou Help in time of need ! 

Heap ill on ill, 

I trust Thee still, 
E'en when it seems that Thou wouldst slay indeed ! 

Do as Thou wilt with me, 

I yet will cling to- Thee ; 
Hide Thou Thy face, yet, Help in time of need, 

I will not let Thee go. 

Wolfgang C. Dessler. 

YOUR afflictions are not eternal, time will 
end them, and so shall ye at length see 
the Lord's salvation; His love sleepeth 
not, is still in working for you ; His salvation 
will not tarry nor linger; and suffering for Him 
is the noblest cross out of heaven. Your Lord 
hath the choice of ten thousand other crosses, 
beside this, to exercise you withal; but His 
wisdom and His love choosed out this for you, 
beside them all; and take it as a choice one, 
and make use of it. Let the Lord absolutely 
have the ordering of your evils and troubles, 
and put them off you, by recommending your 
cross and your furnace to Him, who hath skill 
to melt His own metal, and knoweth well what 
to do with His furnace. Samuel Rutherford. 



{Habexnfttv 4 



As bond-servants [margin] of Christ, doing the 
will of God from the heart, — Eph. vi. 6 (R. V.). 

Lord Jesus, turn us from the noise 
Of endless strivings and empty joys, 
To find forever Thy one true peace, 
Rest from sorrow, from sin release ! 

Harriet McEwen Kimball. 

CAN He not enable you to do that will 
from your heart, in your surroundings? 
Are you sorely tried by those surround- 
ings ? Are they, in themselves, humiliating to 
you, or exasperating to you ? Are they full of 
acute heart-pangs, or heavy with a chronic heart- 
ache ? Not one of these things is forgotten 
before your Lord. Your slightest pain finds 
response in His sympathy. But let that thought 
be but the stepping-stone to this, that for you 
as for the slave-saint of Ephesus there lies open 
in that same Lord the blessed secret of a life 
which shall move amidst these same unwelcome 
surroundings as a life free, and at leisure, and at 
peace, full of love and rest, blessed and blessing; 
a life hid with Christ in God; a life in which 
everything, from your rising up to your lying 
down, the smallest cross and the largest, is seen 
in the light of the holy, the beloved, will of God, 
and so is met not with a sigh, or a murmur, but 
" from the soul." 

Haxdley C. G. Moule. 



3 l ° &Qbtmbtv 5 



Love never faileth. — i Cor. xiii. 8 (R. V.). 
Tour heart shall live for ever. — Ps. xxii. 26. 

Death has no bidding to divide 
The souls that dwell in Thee ; 

Yes, all who in the Lord abide 
Are of one family. 

Thomas H. Gill. 

WILL not our own lamented and beloved 
be there, in the array of happv spirits r 
W ill they not hail our coming with 
delight ? Do they not remember us now, even 
in the sight of God ? For to see His face does 
not extinguish but perfect all holv loves. God's 
love gathers up and perfects all pure love like 
H is own, all love that is for His sake. When 
we meet our beloved in Him, we shall both 
know and love them so as we have neither loved 
or known before. 

Hexry Edward Manning. 

She is not sent away, but onlv sent before ; 
like unto a star, which, going out of our sight, 
doth not die and vanish, but shineth in another 
hemisphere : ye see her not, yet she doth shine 
in another country. 

Samuel Rutherford. 



Mabtnxhtr 6 3 n 

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall 
sustain thee : He shall never suffer the righteous to 
be moved, — Ps. lv. 22. 

To Thee I bring my care, 

The care I cannot flee ; 
Thou wilt not only share, 

But bear it all for me. 

loving Saviour, now to Thee 

1 bring the load that wearies me. 

Frances R. Havergal. 

" /^AST thy burden upon the Lord, and He 
will sustain thee" — burden and all. 
"Thee" is the greatest burden that 
thou hast! All other burdens are but slight, 
but this is a crushing burden. But when we 
come to the Lord with our burden, He just lifts 
up His child, burden and all, and bears him all 
the way home. Charles a Fqx> 

He lays his affairs and himself on God, and 
so hath no pressing care ; no care but the care 
of love, how to please, how to honor his Lord. 
And in this, too, he depends on Him, both for 
skill and strength; and, touching the success of 
things, he leaves that as none of his to be 
burdened with, casts it on God, and since He 
careth for it, they need not both care, His care 
is sufficient. Hence springs peace, inconceivable 
P eace * Robert Leighton. 



&abtmbev 7 



As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good 
unto all men, — Gal. vi. 10. 

She hath done what she could. — Mark xiv. 8. 

VERY consoling words, if we can be sure 
they apply to us. Very pungent con- 
demnation if they apply not, and we 
suffer opportunities to go by. The rule demands 
no impossibilities ; but it does demand that every 
sphere, however humble, shall be filled with 
divine endeavors. You have not done what 
you could if you have not made it the problem 
of every day ; how many burdens can I make 
lighter ? how much heart sunshine can I shed 
about me ? how much can I increase the sum 
of human blessing in the circle where my lines 
have fallen ? How easily we slide into the 
delusion that we should do a great deal more 
good if we had the means, overlooking the 
means that lie close about us ! 

Edmund H. Sears. 

There is no act too trifling to be made by 
God the first link in a chain of blessing ; whether 
some trifling incident is allowed on our part to 
drop unobserved, or is taken up and placed in 
its intended position, often depends on the en- 
tertainment we have given to some previously- 
suggested idea of duty. 

Sarah W. Stephen. 



Habtmbtv 8 



313 



Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least 
commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be 
called the least in the Kingdom of heaven. — Matt. 
v. 19. 

THE great sterling duties, the exact truth 
of word, the resolute refusal to counte- 
nance wrong, the command of temper, 

the mastery of indolence, the unstained purity, 

these, and such as these, form the character, and 
fashion our souls into instruments in God's hands 
for high and heavenly purposes in His Provi- 
dence. But the carefulness over details, the 
watchfulness against faults which we know to 
be faults, but which, notwithstanding, seem venial, 
the devout regularity and attention in our private 
prayers, the invariable good-humor of our man- 
ners, the seeking for occasions of kindness and 
unselfishness, the avoidance of little temptations, 
the care not to cause little annoyances and little 
troubles, — to attend to all this for the sake of 
Christ our Master is the natural and fitting 
expression of a loving heart. 

Frederick Temple. 

The sins by which God's Spirit is ordinarily 
grieved are the sins of small things — laxities in 
keeping the temper, slight neglects of duty, 
sharpness of dealing. 

Horace Bushnell. 



314 Hffbemfier 9 



Continuing steadfastly in prayer. — Rom. xii. 
12 (R. V.). 

PRAYER is a preparation for danger, it is 
the armor for battle. Go not into the 
dangerous world without it. You kneel 
down at night to pray and drowsiness weighs 
down your eyelids. A hard day's work is a 
kind of excuse, and you shorten your prayer, and 
resign yourself softly to repose. The morning 
breaks, and it may be you rise late, and so your 
early deyotions are not done, or done with irregular 
haste. It is no maryel if that day in which you 
suffer drowsiness to interfere with prayer be a 
day on which you betray Him by cowardice and 
soft shrinking from duty. 

Frederick Wm. Robertson. 

Prayer to God regular and earnest, never, inter- 
mittent for any reason, never hurried over for any 
weariness or for any coldness ; this is one chief 
means of keeping our spiritual growth healthy 
and alive. If we would live in any degree by 
that ideal which our better selves sometimes set 
before us, we must steadily maintain the habit 
of regular prayer. For whether or not we are 
conscious of it at the time, there is a calm and 
unceasing strength which can be thus engrafted 
on our souls, and thus only. 

Frederick Temple. 



ilfffomfier 10 315 



Therefore wait ye upon ?ne, saith the Lord. — 
Zeph. iii. 8. 

That ye might be filled with all the fulness of 
God. — Eph. iii. 19. 

What is our work when God a blessing would impart ? 
To bring the empty vessel of a needy heart. 

Richard Chenevix Trench. 

IN praying, we are often occupied with our- 
selves, with our own needs, and our own 
efforts in the presentation of them. In wait- 
ing upon God, the first thought is of the God 
upon whom we wait. God longs to reveal Him- 
self, to fill us with Himself. Waiting on God 
gives Him time in His own way and divine 
power to come to us. Before you pray, bow 
quietly before God, to remember and realize 
who He is, how % near He is, how certainly He 
can and will help. Be still before Him, and 
allow His Holy Spirit to waken and stir up in 
your soul the child-like disposition of absolute 
dependence and confident expectation. Wait 
on God till you know you have met Him ; 
prayer will then become so different. And 
when you are praying, let there be intervals of 
silence, reverent stillness of soul, in which you 
yield yourself to God, in case He may have 
aught He wishes to teach you or to work in 
you. 

Andrew Murray. 



3 X 6 ^abembev n 



/ have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein 
to be content. — Phil. iv. 1 1 (R. V.). 

Forgive us, Lord, our little faith ; 

And help us all, from morn till e'en, 

Still to believe that lot the best 

Which is, — not that which might have been. 

George Zabriskie Gray. 

THOU givest within and without precisely 
what the soul needs for its advancement 
in a life of faith' and self-renunciation. I 
have then only to receive this bread, and to 
accept, in the spirit of self-sacrifice, whatever 
Thou shalt ordain, of bitterness in my external 
circumstances, or within my heart. For what- 
ever happens to me each day is my daily bread, 
provided I do not refuse to take it from Thy 
hand, and to feed upon it. 

Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 

Judge that only necessary which God, in His 
eternal wisdom and love, proportions out unto 
us. And when thou comest hither, thou wilt 
come to thy rest; and as thou abidest here, thou 
wilt abide in thy soul's true rest, and know the 
preciousness of that lesson, and of whom thou 
art to learn it, even, in every state to be content. 

Isaac Penington. 



$}obembtv 12 317 



Rejoice in the Lord alway ; and again I say^ 
Rejoice. — Phil. iv. 4. 

Rejoice in hope and fear 3 

Rejoice in life and death ; 
Rejoice when threatening storms are near, 

And comfort languisheth : 
When should not they rejoice 

Whom Christ His brethren calls, — 
Who hear and know His guiding voice 

When on their hearts it falls ? 

John Moultrie. 

TO " give thanks to Him for all things," is, 
indeed, a very difficult duty ; for it in- 
cludes giving thanks for trials of all 
kinds; for suffering and pain; for languor and 
weariness; for the crossing of our wills; for 
contradiction ; for reproaches ; for loneliness ; 
for privations. Yet they who have learned 
submission will not find it a hard duty; for 
they will so entirely love all that God wills 
and appoints, that they will see it is the very 
best thing for them. Hereafter they will see 
all the links of the chain, and how wonderfully 
even those have fitted, which at the time seemed 
to have no adaptation or agreement. This 
belief enables them to praise Him, and give 
thanks now for each thing, assured that as it has 
been, so it will be — that the God of love will 
do all things well. 

Priscilla Maurice. 



3 1 8 flabember 13 



m Not as though I had already attained, either 
were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I 
may apprehend that for which also I am appre- 
hended of Jesus Christ. — Phil. iii. 12. 

Let no man think that sudden in a minute 

All is accomplished and the work is done 5 — 

Though with thine earliest dawn thou shouldst begin it, 
Scarce were it ended in thy setting sun. 

Frederic W. H. Myers. 

NOTHING so purifies the thoughts, height- 
ens the acts, shuts out self, admits God, 
as, in all things, little or great, to look 
to Jesus. Look to Him, when ve can, as Ve 
begin to act, to converse, or labor; and then 
desire to speak or be silent, as He would have 
you ; to say this word, or leave that unsaid; to 
do this, or leave that undone ; to shape your 
words, as if He were present, and He will be 
present, not in body, but in spirit, not by vour 
side, but in your soul. Faint not, anv who 
would love Jesus, if ye find yourselves vet far 
short of what He Himself who is Love saith 
of the love of Him. Perfect love is heaven. 
When ve are perfected in love, vour work on 
earth is done. There is no short road to 
heaven or to love. Do what in thee lies by 
the grace of God, and He will lead thee from 
strength to strength, and grace to grace, and 
love to love. Edward B. Pusey. 



/ pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of 
the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from 
the evil. — John xvii. 15. 

In the hour of trial, 

Jesu, plead for me ; 
Lest by base denial 

I depart from Thee. 

James Montgomery. 

OUR Lord would have His people to be in 
the world, and yet to be separate from 
it. He would have them be separated, 
not by isolation from it, but bv living lovallv 
under Him as their King, where His claims are 
denied and His rule is rejected ; bv courageously 
living in obedience to righteousness where desire 
is too generallv the impelling and formative 
power. To live in the world as Christ's sol- 
diers and servants ; to witness for Him by 
word and deed as we live in obedience to His 
will — this is the separation which Christ teaches, 
this is the separation that gives glorv to God. 
Woe be to us if we fail in expressing by loyal 
obedience here our lovaltv to Christ as our King ! 
To fail here is to bear stamped on us the brand 
of a traitor's moral cowardice, and a brand of 
greater shame than it no mortal brow can bear. 

George Body. 



3-° ^abtnxhtv 15 



Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me ; yet 
Thy commandments are my delights. — Ps. cxix. 143. 

When black despair beats down my wings, 
And heavenly visions fade away — 

Lord, let me bend to common things, 
The tasks of every day j 

As, when trf aurora is denied, 

And blinding blizzards round him beat, 

The Samoyad bends, and takes for guide 
The moss beneath his feet. 

William Canton. 

WHATEVER bad times may come, or 
whatever perplexity, there is almost al- 
ways close at hand, waiting for one, 
some plain thing to be done. It may be a 
mere matter of routine, an item in the day's 
regular business ; it may be the exercise of some 
consideration for another; it may be only silent 
patience ; but it is always something. And al- 
ways one has the choice to do it or decline it. 
One can go through his work well or shirk 
it. One can consider his neighbor or neglect 
him. One can repress the fever-fit of impa- 
tience or give it wild way. And the perpetual 
presence of such a choice leaves no hour without 
guidance. 

George S. Merriam. 



jfrabtmbev 16 321 



The will of the Lord be done, — Acts xxi. 14. 

But if in parallel to Thine 

My will doth meekly run, 
All things in heaven and earth are mine, 
My will is crossed by none 5 
Thou art in me, 
And I in Thee, — 
Thy will — and mine — are done ! 

W. M. L. Jay. 

SUFFERINGS arising from anxiety, in 
which the soul adds, to the cross imposed 
by the hand of God, an agitated resistance, 
and a sort of unwillingness to suffer, — such 
troubles arise only because we live to ourselves. 
A cross wholly inflicted by God, and .fully ac- 
cepted without any uneasy hesitation, is full of 
peace as well as of pain. On the contrary, 
a cross not fully and simply accepted, but re- 
sisted by the love of self, even slightly, is a 
double cross ; it is even more a cross, owing 
to this useless resistance, than through the pain 
it necessarily entails. 

Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 

The basis of all peace of mind, and what 
must be obtained before we get that peace, is a 
cessation of the conflict of two wills — His and 
ours. 

Charles G. Gordon. 



21 



322 fiabtuthtv 17 



IVhatsoever is born of God overcometh the world ; 
and this is the victory that overcometh the world, 
even our faith. — 1 John v. 4. 

WHAT is victory over the world ? It is 
to cut off, as far as we mav, every hold 
which everything out of God has over 
us ; to study wherein we are weak, and there 
seek in His strength to be made strong. Be 
your temptation the love of pleasure, it is to 
forego it ; if of food, to restrain it ; if of praise, 
to put forward others rather than yourself ; if 
of being right in the sight of men, be content to 
be misjudged, and to keep silence ; if of self- 
indulgence, use hardness ; if of display, cut off 
the occasions and give to the poor ; if of having 
thine own will, practice the submission of it to 
the wills of others. 

Edward B. Pusey. 

If we aspire to walk in the power of the new 
life, we must cast away all hindrances, and it 
must cost something we really value. 

Charles G. Gordon. 

The Faith presses upon man his noblest de- 
sires as obligations, and makes their attainment 
possible by the gift of the Spirit. 

Brooke Foss Westcott. 



Hobembtr 18 



Te shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your 
God hath commanded you : ye shall not turn aside 
to the right hand or to the left. — Deut. v. 32. 

NO duty, however hard and perilous, should 
be feared one-half so much as failure in 
the duty. People sometimes shrink from 
responsibility, saying they dare not accept it 
because it is so great. But in shrinking from 
duty they are really encountering a far more 
serious condition than that which they evade. 
It is a great deal easier to do that which God 
gives us to do, no matter how hard it is, than 
to face the responsibility of not doing it. We 
have abundant assurance that we shall receive 
all the strength we need to perform any duty 
God allots to us ; but if we fall out of the line 
of obedience, and refuse to do anything which 
we ought to do, we find ourselves at once out 
of harmony with God's law and God's provi- 
dence, and cannot escape the consequences of 
our failure. 

J. R. Miller. 

Knowledge is a call to action; an insight 
into the way of perfection is a call to per- 
fection. 

J. H. Newman. 



3*4 &abtmbtv 19 



He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the 
light dwelleth with Him. — Dan. ii. 22. 

Take it on trust a little while ; 
Soon shalt thou read the mystery right 
In the full sunshine of His smile. 

John Keble. 

GOD is too wise not to know all about us, and 
what is really best for us to be, and to have. 
And He is too good, not to desire our 
highest good; and too powerful, desiring, not 
to effect it. If, then, what He has appointed 
for us does not seem to us the best, or even to 
be good, our true course is to remember that 
He sees further than we do, and that we shall 
understand Him in time, when His plans have 
unfolded themselves; meanwhile casting all our 
care upon Him, since He careth for us. 

Henry Parry Liddox. 

To be out of harmony with the things, acts, 
and events, which God in His providence has 
seen fit to array around us — that is to sav, 
not to meet them in a humble, believing, and 
thankful spirit — is to turn from God. And, 
on the other hand, to see in them the develop- 
ments of God's presence, and of the divine will, 
and to accept that will, is to turn in the opposite 
direction, and to be in union with Him. 

Thomas C. Upham. 



&abembtv 20 325 



The Lord will lighten my darkness, — 2 Sam. 
xxii. 29. 

Upon whom doth not His light arise ? — Job 
xxv. 3. 

Hope, then, though woes be doubled, 

Hope, and be undismayed ; 
Let not thy heart be troubled, 

Nor let it be afraid. 
This prison where thou art, 

Thy God will break it soon, 
And flood with light thy heart 

In His own blessed noon. 

Paul Gerhardt. 

A CHRISTIAN may for many days to- 
gether see neither sun nor star, neither 
light in God's countenance, nor light in 
his own heart, though even at that time God 
darts some beams through those clouds upon 
the soul ; the soul again by a spirit of faith sees 
some light through those thickest clouds, enough 
to keep it from utter despair, though not to set- 
tle it in peace. In this dark condition, if they 
do as St. Paul and his company did, cast anchor 
even in the dark night of temptation, and pray 
still for day, God will appear, and all shall 
clear up, we shall see light without and light 
within j the day-star will arise in their hearts. 

Richard Sibbes. 



326 ilabcmbtv 21 



Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? — Acts 
x. 6. 

Every task, however simple, sets the soul that does it free ; 
Every deed of love and mercy, done to man is done to Me. 

Henry van Dyke. 

FOR each one of us, whether on a bed of 
pain, in feebleness and uncertainty of 
purpose such as comes with ill-health or 
overstrained nerves, or whatever else may 
be our immediate condition, nothing is more 
urgent, nothing more behoves us than to ask, 
" What wouldst Thou have me to do ? " For, 
whatever our state, however helpless and in- 
capable, however little service to God or to our 
neighbor seems within our power, there is no 
doubt at all as to His willing us to do something. 
Not necessarily any great thing ; it may be only 
some little message of sympathy and comfort to 
carry to one even more lonely than we are \ it 
may be some tiny pleasure to a little child, 
or a kindly word or glance to one w T hose own 
fault has cut him off from general kindness and 
pity \ it may be even only in humble patience 
to stand and wait till He makes His will plain, 
abstaining the while from murmur and fretful- 
ness; but, in some shape or other, be certain 
that your Master and Lord hears and will an- 
swer your question, " What wouldst Thou have 
me to do ? " H. L. Sidney Lear. 



$}abtmhev 22 327 



Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you 
in all our affliction and distress by your faith, — 
I Thess. iii. 7. 

Just as God leads I am content : 
I rest me calmly in His hands $ 
That which He has decreed and sent — 
That which His will for me commands — 
I would that He should all fulfil 5 
That I should do His gracious will 
In living or in dying. 

Lampertus Gedicke. 

DIVINE Providence means the arrangement 
of all our life, not only of its bright side, 
but also of its dark. It may mean sick- 
ness as well as health ; death as well as life ; 
loss as well as gain ; peril as well as safety ; 
shipwreck by sea and accident by land ; mur- 
rain to our flocks ; sickness in our homes. 

Anthony W. Thorold. 

Howbeit your faith seeth but the black side 
of Providence, yet it hath a better side, and God 
shall let you see it. We know that all things 
work together for good to them that love God ; 
hence I infer that losses, disappointments, ill 
tongues, loss of friends, houses or country, are 
God's workmen, set on work to work out good 
to you, out of everything that befalleth you. 
When the Lord's blessed will bloweth cross 
your desires, it is best, in humility, to strike 
sail to Him, and to be willing to be led any way 
our Lord pleaseth. Samuel Rutherford. 



328 



&tsbtmbtr 23 



7'hat the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the 
work of thine hand which thou doest. — Deut. xiv. 
29. 

Firm against every doubt of Thee 

For all my future way, — 
To walk in heaven's eternal light 

Throughout the changing day. 
Ah ! such a day as Thou shalt own 

When suns have ceased to shine ! 
A day of burdens borne by Thee, 

And work that all was Thine. 

Anna L. Waring. 

LET us give ourselves to God without any 
reserve, and let us fear nothing. He will 
love us, and we shall love Him. His 
love, increasing every day, will take the place of 
everything else to us. He will fill our whole 
hearts ; He will deprive us only of those things 
that make us unhappy. He will cause us to do 
in general, what we have been doing already, 
but which we have done in an unsatisfactory 
manner; whereas, hereafter, we shall do them 
well, because they will be done for His sake. 
Even the smallest actions of a simple and 
common life will be turned to consolation and 
recompense. We shall meet the approach of 
death in peace ; it will be changed for us into 
the beginning of the immortal life. 

.Francois de la Mothe Fenelon. 



Mabembtv 24 329 



We command and exhort by our Lord *Jesus Christ 
that with quietness they work, — 2 Thess. iii. 12. 

There is an order in our daily life, 

Like that the holy angels constant keep 5 

And though its outward show seems but a strife, 

There dwells within a peace like oceans deep. 

Jones Very. 

THE enemy of that grand central habit of 
interior patience is haste : haste of thought, 
haste of judgment, haste of manner, haste 
of speech. Even natural powers of every kind 
become true strength, when they work sub- 
missively and harmoniously under the direction 
of Divine light and the movement of Divine 
grace; and this disciplined subjection at every 
point under the dominion of Christ our Lord, 
ruling us by His grace, makes the soul the 
serene organ of the Holy Spirit, for the ani- 
mating, controlling, and guiding of our souls. 

William Bernard Ullathorne. 

We are conformed to Him in proportion as 
our lives grow in quietness, His peace spreading 
within our own souls. Even amid all that out- 
wardly disturbs us we have, if we have Him, 
the same peace, because He is our peace, sus- 
taining our whole being. 

T. T. Carter. 



33° &abcmbcr 25 



Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanks- 
giving, and the voice of melody. — Is a. li. 3. 

IF thou art living a righteous and a useful 
life, doing thy duty orderly and cheerfully 
where God has put thee, then thou art 
making sweeter melody in the ears of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, than if thou hadst the throat of a 
nightingale; for then thou in thy humble place 
art copying the everlasting harmony and melody 
which is in heaven. 

Charles Kingsley. 

In proportion as the perfect obedience of the 
life of Christ comes, through humility and prayer 
and thought, to be the constant aim of all our 
efforts; in proportion as we try, God helping us, 
to think and speak and act as He did, and 
through all the means of grace to sanctify Him 
in our hearts ; we shall, with growing hope and 
with a wonder that is ever lost in gratitude, know 
that even our lives are not without the earnest 
of their rest in an eternal harmony ; that through 
them there is sounding more and more the echo 
of a faultless music : and that He who loves 
that concord, He who alone can ever make us 
what He bids us be, will silence in us every 
harsh and jarring note ; that our service too may 
blend with the consenting praise of all His 
Saints and Angels. Franxis Paget. 



iixrbemfrer 26 331 



He that contemneth small things shall fall by 
little and little. — Ecclus. xix. I. 

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like 
men, be strong. — I Cor. xvh 13. 

Stand then in His great might, 

With all His strength endued 5 
But take, to arm you for the fight, 

The panoply of God. 
Leave no unguarded place, 

No weakness of the soul ; 
Take every virtue, every grace, 

And fortify the whole. 

Charles Wesley. 

LET every one consider what his weak 
point is ; in that is his trial. His trial is 
not in those things which are easy to him, 
but in that one thing, in those several things, 
whatever they are, in which to do his duty is 
against his nature. Never think yourself safe 
because you do your duty in ninety-nine points; 
it is the hundredth which is to be the ground of 
your self-denial. It is with reference to this 
you must watch and pray ; pray continually for 
God's grace to help you, and watch with fear 
and trembling lest you fall. Oh that you may 
(as it were) sweep the house diligently to dis- 
cover what you lack of the full measure of 
obedience ! for, be quite sure, that this appar- 
ently small defect will influence your whole 
spirit and judgment in all things. 

John Henry Newman. 



33 2 &abcmbtv 27 



God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto 
the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. — 
1 Cor. 1, 9. 

Give me a new, a perfect heart, 
From doubt, and fear, and sorrow free ; 
The mind which was in Christ impart, 
And let my spirit cleave to Thee. 

Charles Wesley. 

SINCE I attained to a clear consciousness, 
by inward experience, that there is no way 
of satisfying the needs of the soul, or 
tranquillizing the heart's longings, but by the 
inner life in Christ, I am aware of an increase 
of power for the work of my calling, whatever 
it be, and of joy and spirit in performing it. 

Christian K. J. Bunsen. 

In my daily life I am to ask " How would 
Christ have acted in my circumstances ? How 
would He have me act ? How would Christ 
fulfil my duties, do my work, fill my place, 
meet my difficulties, turn to account all my 
capacities and opportunities ? " This is to be 
the law and inspiration of my whole life; not 
only of my outward acts, but of al] my inward 
thoughts and desires. There is to be a mani- 
festation of the Divine Nature in me. 

A. C. A. Hall. 



Mabtmhev 28 



Whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the 
love of God perfected; hereby know we that we 
are in Him, — I John ii. 5. 

1 have called you friends. — John xv. 15. 

THE hands that tend the sick tend Christ ; 
the willing feet that go on errands of 
love, work for Christ ; the words of com- 
fort to the sorrowful, and of sympathy to the 

mourner, are spoken in the name of Christ 

Christ comforts the world through His friends. 
How much have you done for Him ? What 
sort of a friend have you been to Him ? God 
is working through His people ; Christ is succor- 
ing through His friends — it is the vacancies in 
the ranks of His friends wherein the mischief 
lies : come and fill one gap. 

Arthur F. Winnington Ingram. 

It is true that love cannot be forced, that it 
cannot be made to order, that we cannot love 
because we ought, or even because we want. 
But we can bring ourselves into the presence of 
the lovable. We can enter into Friendship 
through the door of Discipleship ; we can learn 
love through service; and the day will come to 
us also, when the Master's word will be true, 
" I call you no longer servant, but friend." 

Hugh Black. 

Through His will, loved and done, lies the 
path to His love. Andrew Murray. 



334 ffiabtmbev 29 



Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory 
through our Lord Jesus Christ. — I Cor. xv. 57. 

Keep close to Christ, if conflict sore betide ; 
Stand fast, remembering He is at your side 

To give you strength 
In battle, and the victor's palm at length. 

German, tr. by Frances E. Cox. 

IF we would endeavor, like men of courage, 
to stand in the battle, surely we should feel 
the favorable assistance of God from heaven. 
For He who giveth us occasion to fight, to the 
end we may get the victory, is ready to succor 
those that fight manfully, and do trust in His 
grace. 

Thomas a Kempis. 

He will give the victory into thy hands, if 
only thou wilt fight manfully by His side, 
trusting not in thyself, but in His power and 
goodness. And if the Lord delay awhile to give 
thee the victory, be not disheartened, but believe 
assuredly (and this will also help thee to fight 
resolutely) that He will turn all things which 
may befall thee, those even which to thee may 
seem farthest removed from, yea, most adverse 
to thy success, all will He turn to thy good and 
profit, if thou wilt but bear thyself as a faithful 
and generous warrior. 

Lorenzo Scupoli. 



Babtmhtv 30 335 



He saith unto them, Follow me . . . and they 
straightway left their nets, and followed Him, — 
Matt. iv. 19, 20. 

Jesus calls us 5 o'er the tumult 

Of our life's wild, restless sea, 
Day by day His sweet voice soundeth, 

Saying, " Christian, follow me. 1 ' 
As of old St. Andrew heard it 

By the Galilean lake, 
Turned from home, and toil, and kindred, 

Leaving all for His dear sake. 

Cecil F. Alexander. 

THE will of God will be done ; but, oh, 
the unspeakable loss for us if we have 
missed our opportunity of doing it ! 

Brooke Foss Westcott 

God, who calleth us, Himself gives us the 
strength to obey His call. He who is with us 
now to call us, will be ever present with us, in 
all whereto He calleth us. All in His purpose 
and love, every degree of grace and glory, lies 
wrapped up in His next call. All eternity of 
bliss and the love of God will, through His 
grace, forecoming, accompanying, following, lie 
in one strong, earnest, undivided, giving of thy 
whole self to God, to do in thee, through thee, 
with thee, His gracious, loving will. 

Edward B. Pusey. 



336 Uectxnhtv i 



Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dis- 
mayed ; with us is the Lord our God, to help us, and 
to fight our battles. — 2 Chron. xxxii. 7, 8. 

We fling aside the weight and sin, 
Resolved the victory to win 5 
No shrinking from the desperate fight, 
No thought of yielding or of flight 5 
With the brave heart and steady eye, 
We onward march to victory. 

HORATIUS BONAR. 

IF you, your heart, your will, are enlisted on 
the good side, if you are wishing and trying 
that the good in you should conquer the 
bad, then you are on the side of God Himself, 
and God is on your side ; and u if God be for 
us, who shall be against us ? " Take courage, 
then. If thou dislikest thy sins, so does God. 
If thou art righting against thy worst feelings, 
so is God. On thy side is God who made all, 
and Christ who died for all, and the Holy Spirit 
who alone gives wisdom, purity, nobleness. 
How canst thou fail when He is on thy side ? 
On thy side are all spirits of just men made 
perfect, all wise and good souls in earth and 
heaven, all good and wholesome influences, 
whether of nature or of grace, of matter or of 
mind. How canst thou fail if they are on thy 
side ? 

Charles Kingsley. 



^ettxnbtv 2 337 



These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy 
might remain in you, and that your joy might be full, 
— John xv. i i. 

Thou bringest all again ; with Thee 
Is light, is space, is breadth and room 
For each thing fair, beloved, and free, 
To have its hour of life and bloom. 
Each heart's deep instinct unconfessed $ 
Each lowly wish, each daring claim $ 
All, all that life hath long repressed, 
Unfolds, undreading blight or blame. 

Dora Greenwell. 

LET us offer up to Him each day, and all 
its occupations, yes, and all its relaxa- 
tions — as it begins, — and beg Him to let 
us somehow " see " Him throughout it. Let us 
trust Him with the hallowing of our ordinary 
"secular" interests, let us try to shape each day's 
life so as best to please Him. " Would our Lord 
like me to say this or to read that ? Would He 
sanction this train of thought or of fancy ? 
When I go with that companion, can I imagine 
His drawing near and walking beside us ? " 
This habitual " looking up to Jesus," this re- 
peated reference to His will and pleasure — does 
it seem to us likely to be oppressive, restrictive, 
burdensome ? Let us only try it, and judge 
for ourselves : it will turn out to be a source of 
peace and comfort indescribable. 

William Bright. 

22 



33 8 Mtctmhtv 3 



Because Thou hast been my help, therefore in the 
shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice, — Ps. lxiii, 7. 

On our way rejoicing gladly let us go 5 
Conquered hath our Leader, vanquished is our foe ! 
Christ without, our safety ! Christ within, our joy ! 
Who, if we be faithful, can our hope destroy ? 
On our way rejoicing as we homeward move, 
Hearken to our praises, O Thou God of love ! 

J. B. S. MONSELL. 

I CANNOT understand why those who have 
given themselves up to God and His good- 
ness are not always cheerful, for what 
possible happiness can be equal to that ? No 
accidents or imperfections which may happen 
ought to have power to trouble them, or to 
hinder their looking upward. 

St. Francis de Sales. 

Why should we go to heaven weeping, as if 
we were like to fall down through the earth for 
sorrow ? If God were dead (if I may speak 
so, with reverence of Him who liveth for ever 
and ever,) we might have cause to look like 
dead folks ; but " the Lord liveth, and blessed 
be the Rock of our salvation." None have 
right to joy but we ; for joy is sown for us, and 
an ill summer or harvest will not spill the crop. 

Samuel Rutherford. 



Mtctntbev 4 339 



That ye may know what is the hope of His call- 
ing, and what the riches of the glory of His inherit- 
ance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness 
of His power to us-ward who believe. — Eph. i. 
18, 19. 

Thou dost well, 
And my heaven is here and now, 
Day-star of my soul, if Thou 
Wilt but deign in me to dwell. 

Wolfgang C. Dessler. 

THROW open all the windows of your 
soul to the influence of Jesus. By prayer, 
thought, and action, let His divine power 
move in and through your life ; and be sure 
that a mighty work is within His power and 
your possibility. Not that of lifting you into 
ordinary spiritual vitality, but of transforming 
you through and through with His Spirit. 

William Lawrence. 

The life which we are meant to lead under 
the dispensation of the Spirit who has been given 
for our guidance into Truth, is one which does 
not take us out of the world, but keeps us from 
its evil, enabling us to live a heavenly existence 
on earth, and so to span over the chasm which 
divides us from heaven. 

Edward Thring. 



34° SBmmfier 5 



That I may know Him, and the power of His 
resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, 
being made conformable unto His death. — Phil. 
iii. 10. 

What within me and without 

Hourly on my spirit weighs, 
Burdening heart and soul with doubt, 

Darkening all my weary days ; 
In it I behold Thy will, 

God, who givest rest and peace 5 
And my heart is calm and still, 

Waiting till Thou send release. 

A. H. Francke. 

WHATEVER thy grief or trouble be, take 
every drop in thy cup from the hand 
of Almighty God. He with whom " the 
hairs of thy head are all numbered," knoweth 
every throb of thy brow, each hardly drawn 
breath, each shoot of pain, each beating of the 
fevered pulse, each sinking of the aching heart. 
Receive, then, what are trials to thee, not in the 
main only, but one by one, from His all-loving 
hands ; thank His love for each ; unite each 
with the sufferings of thy Redeemer ; pray that 
He will thereby hallow them to thee. Thou 
wilt not know now what He thereby will work' 
in thee ; yet, day by day, shalt thou receive the 
impress of the likeness of the ever-blessed Son, 
and in thee, too, while thou knowest it not, 
God shall be glorified. E. B. Pusey. 



Btctmhev 6 341 



Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth 
for you. — 1 Peter v. 7. 

How gentle God's commands ! 
How kind His precepts are ! 
Come, cast your burdens on the Lord, 
And trust His constant care. 
His goodness stands approved 
Down to the present day 5 
I'll drop my burden at His feet, 
And bear a song away. 

Philip Doddridge. 

SHE was not accustomed in these days to 
meet troubles, small or great, with the 
small stock of strength her mind or body 
could afford. She had acquired, by long habit, 
the power of putting them from her until she 
could take them into the presence of her Lord, 
and there, in secret, commune with Him of all 
that was in her heart. Sarah W. Stephen. 

The Lord calls for our burdens, would not 
have us wrestle with them ourselves, but roll 
them over on Him, Now, the desires that are 
breathed' forth in prayer are, as it were, the very 
unloading of the heart ; each request that goes 
forth, carries out somewhat of the burden with 
it, and lavs it on God. Tell Him what are 
your desires, and leave them there with Him, 
and so you are sure to be rid of all further 
disquieting care of them. Robert Lejghton. 



342 ZSctembcv 7 



As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the 
Lord, so walk ye in Him. — Col. ii. 6. 

We have the mind of Christ. — I Cor, ii. 1 6. 

Never further than Thy cross $ 

Never higher than Thy feet ; 
Here earth's precious things seem dross 5 

Here earth's bitter things grow sweet. 

Here we learn to serve and give, 

And, rejoicing, self deny 5 
Here we gather love to live, 

Here we gather faith to die. 

Elizabeth R. Charles. 

ARE we assimilating His mind, His way 
of looking at things, His judgments, His 
spirit ? Is the Christ-conscience being 
developed in us ? Have we an increasing in- 
terest in the things which interest Him, an 
increasing love of the things that He loves, 
an increasing desire to serve the purposes He 
has at heart ? K Ye are my friends, if ye do 
whatsoever I command you," is the test by 
which we can try ourselves. Hugh Black. 

This I saw, that when a soul loves God with 
a supreme love, God's interests and his are 
become one. It is no matter when nor where 
nor how Christ should send me, nor what trials 
He should exercise me with, if I may be pre- 
pared for His work and will. David Brainerd. 



Mtctmbn 8 343 



Lord, Thou wilt ordain peace for us : for Thou 
bast also wrought all our works for us. — Isa. xxvi. 
12 (R. V.). 

With that deep hush subduing all 
Our words and works that drown 

The tender whisper of Thy call, 

As noiseless let Thy blessing fall 
As fell the manna down. 

John G. Whittier. 

PRAY to be calm and quiet and hushed, and 
that He will vouchsafe you the sense of 
His blessed Presence ; that you may do 
all things beneath His eye; to sit with Mary 
calmly at His feet and hear His voice, and then 
calmly rise and minister to Him. 

Edward Bouverie Pusey. 

Try so to live in the light of God's love that 
it becomes a second nature to you, tolerate 
nothing adverse to it, be continually striving to 
please Him in all things, take all that He sends 
patiently ; resolve firmly never to commit the 
smallest deliberate fault, and if, unhappily you 
are overtaken by any sin, humble yourself, and 
rise up speedily. You will not be always 
thinking of God consciously, but all your 
thoughts will be ruled by Him, His Presence 
will check useless or evil thoughts, and your 
heart will be perpetually fixed on Him, ready to 
do His holy will. Jean Nicolas Grou. 



344 



Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love 
one another, — i John iv. 1 1. 

By this shall all ?nen know that ye are my 
disciples, if ye have love one to another. — John 
xiii. 35. 

Do I find love so full in my nature, God's ultimate gift, 
That I doubt His own love can compete with it ? Here, 

the parts shift ? 
Here, the creature surpass the Creator, — the end, what 

Began ? 

Would I fain in my impotent yearning do all for this man, 
And dare doubt He alone shall not help him, who yet 
alone can ? Robert Browning. 

unto me," savs the holy Jesus, 
\^Jl " all ye that labor and are heavy laden, 
and I will refresh you." Beg of Him 
to be the light and life of your soul; love the 
sound of His name ; for Jesus is the love, the 
sweetness, the compassionate goodness of the Deity 
itself; which became man, that so men might 
have the power to become the sons of God. 
Love, and pity, and wish well to every soul in 
the world ; dwell in love and then you dwell in 
God. Willia m Law. 

The Lord's love is the love of communicating 
all that He has to all His creatures ; for He 
desires the happiness of all ; and a similar love 
prevails in those who love Him, because the 
Lord is in them. Emanuel Swedenborg. 



BtCtmbtV 10 345 



That we . , . may grow up in all things into 
Him, which is the head, even Christ ; from whom 
all the body fitly framed and knit together through 
that which every joint supplieth, according to the 
working in due measure of each several part, 
maketh the increase of the body unto the building up 
of itself in love. — Eph. iv. 14-16 (R. V.). 

W'E become the living means to a great end ; 
and all our inner salvation — our rinding 
of Jesus — is seen, not to centre in our- 
selves, in our own gain, our own rescue, our own 
peace ; but to lead out beyond itself \ to have 
been our qualification for use and office, without 
which we could not be taken up, as workers 
with God, into that eternal husbandry whereby 
He sets Himself to win over the stubborn and 
thorny field of the world. Our eves are 
taken ofr ourselves ; we are not absorbed in re- 
hearsing our own experiences, however blessed. 
We are caught up into the counsels ; we serve 
to widen the frontiers of the Kingdom ; through 
us, correlated as we are, bv joints and bands, 
into the articulated body, the Spirit of Christ 
can get abroad, can take a fresh step forward. 
We are become its vantage-ground from which 
it can again advance. Oh, that we were more 
quick to His touch, more ready for His needs, 
more serviceable in His ministry ! 

Hexry Scott Holland. 



346 5Rtttmhev ii 



Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for 
the upright in heart. — Ps. xcvii. II. 

Sun of the soul, Thou light divine, 
Around and in us brightly shine, 

To strength and gladness wake us. 
Where Thou shinest, life from heaven 
There is given ; we before Thee 
For that precious gift implore Thee. 

Michael Schirmer. 



THAT is what our sacrifice of ourselves 
should be — " full of life." Not de- 
sponding, morbid, morose ; not gloomy, 
chilly, forbidding ; not languid, indolent, inac- 
tive; but full of life, and warmth, and energy ; 
cheerful, and making others cheerful ; gay, and 
making others gay ; happy, and making others 
happy ; contented, and making others contented ; 
doing good, and making others do good, by our 
lively vivid vitality, — filling every corner of 
our own souls and bodies, filling every corner 
of the circle in which we move, with the fresh 
life-blood of a warm, genial, kindly Christian 
heart. Doubtless this requires a sacrifice ; it 
requires us to give up our own comfort, our 
own ease, our own firesides, our dear solitude, 
our own favorite absorbing pursuits, our shy- 
ness, our reserve, our pride, our selfishness. 

Arthur P. Stanley. 



Bcttmbtv 12 347 



My soul shall be joyful in the Lord', it shall 
rejoice in His salvation. — Ps. xxxv. 9. 

The living God, who giveth us richly all things 
to enjoy. — 1 Tim. vi. 17. 

Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart. — ■ 

ISA. 1XV. 14. 

Give me, O Lord, a heart of grace, 
A voice of joy, a shining face, 
That I may show where'er I turn 
Thy love within my soul doth burn ! 

A tenderness for all that stray, 
With strength to help them on the way ; 
A cheerfulness, a heavenly mirth, 
Brightening my steps along the earth ! 

Lady Gilbert. 

THOSE who love God are encompassed 
with gladness on every side, because in 
every passing moment they see and feel 
a Father's love, and nothing of this world can 
take it away or lessen it. H. L. Sidney Lear. 

To be happv is properly the beginning of all 
schemes for making happy. Sarah W. Stephen. 

My life is so strangely free from all trial and 
trouble, that I cannot doubt my own happiness 
is one of the talents entrusted to me to " oc- 
cupy " with, till the Master shall return, by 
doing something to make other lives happy. 

Charles L. Dodgson. 



348 Mectmbev 13 



JVhen the enemy shall come in like a flood, the 
Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against 
him. — Isa. lix. 19. 

Still more and more do Thou my soul redeem, 
From every bondage set me wholly free j 
Though Evil oft the mightiest power may seem, 
Still make me more than conqueror, Lord, in Thee. 

C. J. P. Spitta. 

WAIT on the Lord in humility of heart, 
that thou mayest daily feel the change 
which is wrought in the heart and con- 
science by the holy, eternal, ever-living Power ; 
and so thou mayest witness, " that which is born 
of the Spirit, is spirit." And then thou wilt feel 
that this birth of the Spirit cannot fulfil the lusts 
of the flesh, but will be warring and fighting the 
good fight against them ; and thus, in faithful- 
ness to the truth, and waiting upon the Lord, 
thou shalt witness an overcoming, in His due 
time. Oh, the conquering faith, the overcoming 
life and power of the Spirit ! We cannot but 
speak of those things ; and cry up the perfect 
gift, and the power of Him, who is not only 
able to perfect His work in the heart, but de- 
lights so to do ; and even to tread down Satan 
under the feet of those that wait in patience for 
the perfect conquest. 

Isaac Penington. 



Stttm&tr 14 349 



Perplexed, but not in despair ; cast down, but not 
destroyed. — 2 Cor. iv. 8, 9. 

Faint, yet pursuing. — Judges viii. 4. 

/, even I, am He that blotteth out thy trans- 
gressions for mine own sake, and will not remember 
thy sins. — Isa. xliii. 25. 

I DON'T think it is possible to overrate the 
hardness of the first close struggle with any 
natural passion, but indeed the easiness of 
after-steps is often quite beyond one's expecta- 
tions. The free gift of grace with which God 
perfects our efforts may come in many ways, 
but I am convinced that it is the common expe- 
rience of Christians that it does come. There 
may be some souls, whose brave and bitter lot it 
is to conquer comfortless. Perhaps some terrible 
inheritance of strong sin from the father is 
visited upon the son, and, only able to keep his 
purpose pure, he falls as fast as he struggles up, 
and still struggling falls again. Soft moments 
of peace with God and man may never come to 
him. He may feel himself viler than a thousand 
trumpery souls who could not have borne his 
trials for a day. For you and me is reserved no 
such cross and no such crown as theirs who 
falling still fight, and fighting fall, with their 
faces Zionwards, into the arms of the everlasting 
Father. " As one whom his mother comforteth " 
shall be the healing of their wounds. 

Juliana Horatia Ewing, 



35° tottttribtv 15 



These things I command you, that ye love one 
another. — John xv. 17. 

Yet habits linger in the soul 5 

More grace, O Lord ! more grace ! 

More sweetness from Thy loving heart, 
More sunshine from Thy face ! 

Frederick W. Faber. 

IF thy disturbance of mind proceeds from a 
person who is so disagreeable to thee, that 
every little action of his annoys or irritates 
thee, the remedy is to force thyself to love him, 
and to hold him dear ; not only because he is a 
creature formed by the same sovereign hand as 
thou art, but also because he offers thee an 
opportunity (if thou wilt accept it) of becoming 
like unto thy Lord, who is kind and loving unto 
all men. Lorenzo Scupoli. 

The habit of letting every foolish or unchari- 
table thought, as it arises, find words, has a great 
deal to do with much evil in the world. Check 
the habit of uttering the words, and gradually 
you will find that you check the habit of thought 
too. A resolution always to turn to some dis- 
tinctly good thought when a complaining or 
unkind one arises in the mind, is a great help — 
as it is to turn every thought condemnatory of 
our neighbor into a prayer for him. We never 
can long continue to dislike people for whom we 
pray. H. L. Sidney Lear. 



^tcttnbtv 16 3^1 



Moreover, as for me, God forbid that I should sin 
against the Lord, in ceasing to pray for you. — 
i Sam. xii. 23. 

More things are wrought by prayer 
Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice 
Rise like, a fountain for me night and day. 
For what are men better than sheep or goats 
That nourish a blind life within the brain, 
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer 
Both for themselves and those who call them friend ? 
For so the whole round earth is every way 
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God. 

Alfred Tennyson. 

PERHAPS we do not think enough what 
an effective service prayer is, especially 
intercessory prayer. We do not believe as 
we should how it might help those we so fain 
would serve, penetrating the hearts we cannot 
open, shielding those we cannot guard, teaching 
where we cannot speak, comforting where our 
words have no power to soothe; following the 
steps of our beloved through the toils and per- 
plexities of the day, lifting off their burdens with 
an unseen hand at night. No ministry is so like 
that of an angel as this — silent, invisible, known 
but to God. Elizabeth Rundle Charles. 

Intercessory prayer might be defined as loving 
our neighbor on our knees. 

Charles H. Brent. 



35 2 Htctmbtr 17 



The Master is come, and calleth for thee, — 
John xi. 28. 

Stir in us the might of faith, 

Light in us the fire of love ! 
Then will smile Thine angel Death, 

Opener of the gate above 5 
Sweet Thy summons then will come; 
Gladsome then shall we go home. 

Thomas H. Gill. 

BEYOND all secondary causes, deeper than 
disease or accident, lies the loving will of 
Him who is the Lord of life and death. 
Death is Christ's minister, " mighty and beau- 
teous, though his face be dark," and he, too, 
stands amidst the ranks of the " ministering 
spirits sent forth to minister to them that shall 
be heirs of salvation." 

Alexander MacLaren. 

Until our Master summons us, not a hair of 
our head can perish, not a moment of our life 
be snatched from us. When He sends for us, 
it should seem but the message that the child is 
wanted at home. 

Anthony W. Thorold. 

Death to a good man is but passing through 
a dark entry out of one little dusky room of his 
father's house into another that is fair and large, 
lightsome and glorious. Anonymous. 



Sertmfier 18 353 



Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and 
praise Thy glorious na?ne. — I Chron. xxix. 13. 

Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous ; and give thanks 
at the remembrance of His holiness. — Ps. xcvii. 12. 

And now the wants are told, that brought 

Thy children to Thy knee 5 
Here, lingering still, we ask for nought, 

But simply worship Thee. 

The hope of heaven's eternal days 

Absorbs not all the heart 
That gives Thee glory, love, and praise 

For being what Thou art. 

William Bright. 

LET praise — I say not merely thanksgiving, 
but praise — always form an ingredient 
of thy prayers. We thank God for what 
He is to us; for the benefits which He confers, 
and the blessings with which He visits us. But 
we praise Him for what He is in Himself, — 
for His glorious excellences and perfections, in- 
dependently of their bearing on the welfare of 
the creature. And it shall often happen that 
when thv heart is numb and torpid, and yields 
not to the action of prayer, it shall begin to 
thaw, and at last burst, like streams under the 
breath of spring, from their icy prison, with the 
warm and genial exercise of praise. 

Edward M. Goulburn. 

23 



354 StremBcr 19 



And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee* 
sayings This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn 
to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left, — 

ISA. XXX. 21. 

The ways of the Lord are right, and the just 
shall walk in them. — Hosea xiv. 9. 

Yet more and more this truth doth shine 

From failure and from loss, 
The will that runs transverse to Thine 
Doth thereby make its cross : 
Thine upright will 
Cuts straight and still 
Through pride and dream and dross. 

W. M. L. Jay. 

LET us remember that it is not God who 
makes many of the crosses that we 
find in our way, such as we commonly 
call " crosses." Our Heavenly Father makes 
" straight paths for our feet," and, if we would 
go in His way, if we would straighten our wills 
to His will, and lav them side by side, there 
would be no crosses. But when the path that 
God points out goes north and south, and our 
stubborn wills lead us east and west, the con- 
sequence is " a cross " — a cross of our own 
making, not that which our Master bids us 
"take up and carry after Him," and of which 
it has been well said, " He always carries the 
heaviest end Himself." 

Annie Webb-Peploe. 



laeamfier 20 355 



I would have you to be free from cares. — I Cor. 
vii. 32 (R. V.). 

He that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass 
him about. — Ps. xxxii. 10. 

I have no cares, O blessed Will ! 

For all my cares are Thine $ 
I live in triumph, Lord, for Thou 

Hast made Thy triumphs mine. 

Frederick W. Faber. 

LET my soul roll itself on Him, and adven- 
ture there all its weight. He bears greater 
matters, upholding the frame of heaven 
and earth, and is not troubled or burdened 
with it. 

Robert Leighton. 



What is needed for happy and effectual ser- 
vice is simply to put your work into the Lord's 
hands, and leave it there. Do not take it to 
Him in prayer, saying, "*Lord, guide me, Lord, 
give me wisdom, Lord, arrange for me," and 
then arise from your knees, and take the burden 
all back, and try to guide and arrange for your- 
self. Leave it with the Lord, and remember 
that what you trust to Him you must not worry 
over nor feel anxious about. Trust and worry 
cannot go together. 

Hannah Whitall Smith. 



35 6 SBtttmhev 21 



/ am the way, the truth, and the life : no man 
cometh unto the Father, but by me. — John xiv. 6. 

Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have 
believed. — John xx. 29. 

The Way, the Truth, the Life Thou art, 
This, this I know ; to this I cleave ; 

The sweet new language of my heart, 
" Lord, I believe.'" 

I have no doubts to bring to Thee 5 

My doubt has fled ; my faith is free. 

Harriet McEwen Kimball. 

WE have been placed upon the Way. 
We have been taught the Truth. We 
have been made partakers of the Life. 
The Way must be traversed ; the Truth must 
be pursued; the Life must be realized. Then 
cometh the end. Our pilgrimage, long as it 
may be or short, if we have walked in Christ, 
will leave us by the throne of God ; our partial 
knowledge, if we have looked upon all things in 
Christ, will be lost in open sight ; our little 
lives, perfected, purified, harmonized in Him 
whom we have trusted, will become, in due 
order, parts of the One Divine Life, when God 
is all in all. 

Brooke Foss Westcott. 



Love is the life of faith ; obedience, the life 
of love. Yea, rather, Christ Himself is the life 
of the soul. Edward B. Pusey. 



MtCtXtthtV 22 357 



He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most 
High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty, 
— Ps. xci. i. 

The upright shall dwell in Thy presence. — Ps. 

cxl. 13. 

My soul and all its powers 

Thine, wholly Thine shall be ; 

All, all my happy hours 
I consecrate to Thee : 

Me to Thine image now restore, 

And I shall praise Thee evermore. 

Charles Wesley. 

IF the wish is wakened in our soul to be ever 
in His presence, let us go to Him this mo- 
ment, and ask Him what to do, and how to 
feel, believing that He is more ready to hear than 
we to pray. He will give us realization of His 
love, and convictions of duty. Let us follow 
those convictions implicitly ; let us ask Him 
every day to teach us more, and help us more ; 
and we shall soon say, with Paul, " Thanks be 
unto God, for His unspeakable gift ! " 

William R. Huntington. 

The all-important thing is not to live apart 
from God, but as far as possible to be con- 
sciously with Him. It must needs be that 
those who look much into His face will become 
like Him. 

Charles H. Brent. 



35 8 Btcembev 23 



Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lor ^faith- 
fully, and with a perfect heart, — 2 Chron. 
xix. 9. 

In little things of common life, 

There lies the Christian's noblest strife, 

When he does conscience make 
Of every thought and throb within ; 
And words and looks of self and sin 

Crushes for Jesus' sake. 

J. B. S. Monsell. 

WHERESOEVER we be, whatsoever we 
are doing, in all our work, in our busy 
daily life, in all schemes and under- 
takings, in public trusts, and in private retreats, 
He is with us, and all we do is spread before 
Him. Do it, then, as to the Lord. Let the 
thought of His eye unseen be the motive of your 
acts and words. Do nothing you would not 
have Him see. Say nothing which you would 
not have said before His visible presence. This 
is to do all in His name. 

Henry Edward Manning. 

If one sign surer than any other be chosen 
to mark the progress of the Divine life, it is 
when sanctity prevails even in the minutest 
points of character, and in ordinary ways. The 
least look, the faintest expression, the casual act, 
may tell more of the secret power of Jesus in 
the soul, than world-famed acts of self-devotion. 

T. T. Carter. 



!3ecem&er 24 359 



There was no room for them in the inn. — Luke 
ii. 7. 

God often would enrich, but finds not where to place 
His treasure, — nor in hand nor heart a vacant space. 

Richard Chenevix Trench. 

THE soul, in its highest sense, is a vast 
capacity for God. It is like a curious 
chamber added on to being, and some- 
how involving being, a chamber with elastic and 
contractile walls, which can be expanded, with 
God as its guest, illimitably, but which with- 
out God shrinks and shrivels until every vestige 
of the Divine is gone. 

Henry Drummond, 

All that God desires is to give you His great 
love, so that it may dwell in you, and be the 
principle of your life and service ; and all that 
withstands God's desire and His gift is the want 
of room for it, and for its free movement, when 
that room is taken up with yourselves and your 
little personal interests. 

William Bernard Ullathorne. 

By rooting out our selfish desires, even when 
they appear to touch no one but ourselves, we 
are preparing a chamber of the soul where the 
Divine Presence may dwell. 

Ellen Watson. 



360 fBemnfitr 25 



/ live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. 

Gal. ii. 20. 

Christ in you, the hope of glory. — Col. i. 27. 

Though Christ a thousand times in Bethlehem be born, 
If He 's not born in thee, thy soul is still forlorn. 

JOHANN SCHEFFLER. 

THE great mystery of the Gospel does not 
lie in Christ without us only (though we 
must know also what He has done for 
us); but the very pith and kernel of it consists 
in Christ inwardly formed in our hearts. 

Ralph Cudworth. 

When therefore the first spark of a desire 
after God arises in thy soul, cherish it with all 
thy care, give all thy heart into it ; it is nothing 
less than a touch of the divine loadstone, that is 
to draw thee out of the vanity of time, into the 
riches of eternity. Get up therefore, and follow 
it as gladly as the wise men of the east followed 
the star from heaven that appeared to them. It 
will do for thee as the star did for them, it will 
lead thee to the birth of Jesus, not in a stable 
at Bethlehem in Judea, but to the birth of Jesus 
in the dark centre of thine own soul. 

William Law. 



%Btttmhtv 26 361 



They loved not their lives unto the death. — Rev. 
xii. 11. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, 
whether we wake or sleep, we should live together 
with Him. — 1 Thess. v. 9, 10. V 

Be ours the faith that sees Thee stand 
Beside the throne of God on high, 

To succor with Thy strong right hand 
Thy soldiers when to Thee they cry. 

Be ours the love, divine and free, 

Which asks forgiveness for our foes ; 

Which draws, in life, its life from Thee, 
And, dying, finds in Thee repose. 

j. F. Thrupp. 

" TF He has done so much for me, what can 
I do for Him ? " is the question which a 
Christian life should answer. He may 
ask little or much. He may demand heroic 
sacrifices, or He may require only punctual 
attention to daily and prosaic duty. But He 
has a right to make any demands He will, 
and it should be a point of honor with every 
Christian to satisfy Him. It is this simple 
self-surrender, in a spirit of love for God 
and for the souls of men, which makes life 
strong and noble, as was the life of St. Stephen. 
It is this self-surrender which makes death, 
whenever or wherever it may come, a " falling 
asleep in Christ." Henry Parry Liddon. 



3 62 Bcccmbcr 27 



They took knowledge of them, that they had been 
with Jesus. — Acts iv. 13. 

O hearts of love ! O souls that turn 
Like sunflowers to the pure and best ! 
To you the truth is manifest 5 

For they the mind of Christ discern 
Who lean like John upon His breast. 

John G. Whittier. 

WILT thou with St. John rest on the 
loving heart of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
thou must be transformed into the 
beauteous image of our Lord by a constant, 
earnest contemplation thereof, considering His 
holy meekness and humility, the deep, fiery love 
that He bore to His friends and His foes, and 
His mighty, obedient resignation which He mani- 
fested in all the paths wherein His Father called 
Him to tread. And now ye must gaze much 
more closely and deeply into the glorious ima^e 
of our Lord Jesus Christ than I can show you 
with my outward teaching, and maintain a con- 
tinual, earnest effort and aspiration after it. 
Then look attentively at thyself, how unlike 
thou art to this image, and behold thy own lit- 
tleness. Here will thy Lord let thee rest on 
Him. In the glorious likeness of Christ thou 
wilt be made rich, and find all the solace and 
sweetness in the world. 

John" Tauler. 



Btctxnbtt 28 363 



Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive 
the Kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise 
enter therein, — Luke xviii. 17. 

Dear Soul, couldst thou become a child 
While yet on earth, meek, undefiled, 
Then God Himself were ever near, 
And Paradise around thee here. 

Gerhard Tersteegen. 

CHILDLIKENESS, in its Scripture sense, 
is a perfectness of trust, a resting in a 
Father's love, a being borne on in its 
power, living in it — it means a simplicity which 
resolves all into the one idea of lowly submissive- 
ness to One in whom it lives; a buoyancy of 
spirit, which is a fountain of joy in itself, always 
ready to spring forth afresh brightly and happily 
to meet the claims of the present hour, not 
looking lingeringly back to the past, nor making 
plans independently, as of oneself, for the fu- 
ture ; a resting contented in one's lot, whatever 
that lot may be ; a singleness of intention ; a 
pliancy, a yielding of the will, a forgetfulness 
of self in another's claims. To be thus child- 
like in the pure sense of such an ideal, is to be 
living in God, as one's Father, one's Preserver, 
one's Guide, felt to be a perpetual Presence and 
Providence. 

T. T. Carter. 



3 6 4 SRttcxixbtv 29 



With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and 
not to men. — Eph. vi. 7. 

Yet take the tiny stones which I have wrought, 
Just one by one, as they were given by Thee', 

Not knowing what came next in Thy wise thought. 

Set each stone by Thy Master-hand of grace ; 
Form the mosaic as Thou wilt for me, 

And in Thy temple pavement give it place. 

Frances Ridley Havergal. 

WHAT God may hereafter require of you, 
you must not give yourself the least 
trouble about. Everything He gives 
you to do, you must do as well as ever you can, 
and that is the best possible preparation for what 
He may want you to do next. If people would 
but do what they have to do, they would always 
find themselves ready for what came next. 

George Macdoxald. 

Nothing can excuse the neglect of the duties 
of the position of life which God has conferred 
upon us. All is delusive where these are not 
attended to, and made much of. 

Frederick W. Faber. 

If you would advance in true holiness, you 
must aim steadily at perfection in little things. 

Abbe Guillore. 



Mtctmbtv 30 3 6 5 



Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the 
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and 
the Father by Him. — Col. iii. 17. 

Yea, through life, death, through sorrow and through 
sinning, 

He shall suffice me, for He hath sufficed : 
Christ is the end, for Christ was the beginning ; 
Christ the beginning for the end is Christ. 

F. W. H. Myers. 

t 

LET this be thy whole endeavor, this thy 
prayer, this thy desire, — that thou mayest 
be stripped of all selfishness, and with en- 
tire simplicity follow Jesus only. 

Thomas a Kempis. 

Do what is pleasing to Jesus Christ, and ne- 
glect nothing which pleases Him. 

Lorenzo Scupoli. 

To " do all things in the name of Jesus " is 
the lesson of a life ; do not be angry with your- 
selves, nor despair of .ever learning it, because 
thou art slow to learn the first few syllables. 
When thou hast learned to do all things to 
Jesus, it will shed pleasure over all dull things, 
softness over all hard things, peace over all trial 
and woe and suspense. Then will life be glad, 
when thou livest to Jesus ; and how sweet death, 
to die in Jesus ; with Him, and to Him, and in 
Him, to live for evermore. E. B. Pusey. 



366 Mtcetnhtv 31 



We are laborers together with God, 1 Cor. 

iii. 9. 

Then bear a joy where joy is not, 
Go, speak a kindly word in love, 

Less bitter make some loveless lot, 
Now earth is linked to heaven above. 

Frederick G. Lee. 

DO what you can — give what you have. 
Only stop not with feelings ; carry your 
charity into deeds; do and. give what 
costs you something. j ^ rp HQM 

" Up and be doing" is the word that comes 
from God for each of us. Leave some " good 
work" behind you that shall not be wholly 
lost when you have passed away. Do some- 
thing worth living for, worth dying for. Is 
there no want, no suffering, no sorrow that you 
can relieve ? Is there no act of tardy justice, 
no deed of cheerful kindness, no long-forgotten 
duty that you can perform ? Is there no rec- 
onciliation of some ancient quarrel, no payment 
of some long-outstanding debt, no courtesy, or 
love, or honor to be rendered to those to whom 
it has long been due ; no charitable, humble, 
kind, useful deed by which you can promote 
the glory of God, or good will among men, or 
peace upon earth ? If there be any such deed, 
in God's name, in Christ's name, go and do it. 

Arthur P. Stanley. 



INDEX OF AUTHORS 



prose auctions; 

PAGE 

Aitken, Canon William Hay Macdowall 

Hunter (b. 1841) 49> l00 > 226 

Anonymous : 97> 35 2 

Arnauld, Mere Angelique (1591-1661) .... 93 
Augustine, St. (354-430) 76, 192 

Baxter, Rev. Richard (1615-1691) 44> x 94 

Benson, Archbishop Edward White (1829- 

1896) 5°> J 96, 281 

Besson, Pere Hyacinthe (1816-1861) . . . 162, 285 
Black, Rev. Hugh (b. 1868) . . 188, 254, 296, 333, 342 
Body, Canon George (b. 1840) . . 33' II0 > 2 7,4> 3 T 9 
Bonar, Rev. Horatius (1808-1889) ..... 46 

Booth, Mrs. Catherine (1 829-1890) 44 

Bowman, Hetty 119, 134, 186, 255, 283 

Bradford, Rev. John (d. 1555) 15 2 

Brainerd, Rev. David (1718-1747) 342 

Brent, Rev. Charles Henry (b. 1862) . . 14, 51, 62, 
151, 170, 185, 226, 244, 250, 351, 357 

Bright, Canon William (1824-1901) 337 

Bunsen, Baron Christian Karl Josias (179 1 - 

1860) 33 2 

Bushnell, Rev. Horace (1802-1876) 10, 52, 205, 223, 

262, 275, 313 

Butler, Rev. William Archer (1814-1848) . . 180 



368 



INDEX OF AUTHORS 



PAGE 



Campbell, Rev. John McLeod (1800-1872) 74,231,253 

Campbell, Isabella (1807-1827) ^01 

Carey, Rev. William (1 762-1834) 262 

Carter, Canon Thomas Thelluson (b. 1808) 11, 23, 
2 4, 34, 70, 85, 89, 141, 174, 195, 234, 302, 307, 329, 358, 

363 

Catharine, St., of Siena (1347-1380) . 36, 121, 270 
Cecil, Rev. Richard (1748-1810) .... 123, 181 
Charles, Mrs. Elizabeth (Rundle) (1827-1896) 3, 

115,204,351 

Cheare, Rev. Abraham (1668) i 5 o 

Clarke, Rev. James Freeman (1810-1888) . . 95, 180 
Condren, Pere Charles de (1 588-1641) ... 37, 136 
Cudworth, Rev. Ralph (1617-1688) . . . 147^360 

Dodgson, Rev. Charles Lutwidge (1833-1898) . 347 
Drummond, Rev. Henry (1851-1897) .... 22, 359 

Eden, Mrs. Horatia K.,pub. 1885 23, 220 

Eliot, Rev. Joseph (d. 1694) 66 

Ellerton, Rev. John (1826-1893) . . 6, 90, 129, 177 
Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1803-1882) . . . 114,238 
Erskine, Thomas (1788-1870) 62, 134, 168, 191, 234/246, 

300 

Ewing, Mrs. Juliana Horatia (1841-1885) 65, 68, 108, 

114, 207, 216, 254, 295, 349 

Faber, Rev. Frederick William (1815-1863) 13, 75, 
112, 118, 128, 153, 198, 255, 274, 295, 364 
Fenelon, Archbishop Francois de Salignac de 

LA MOTHE (165I-I715) 21, 40, 57, 82, 96, 126, 127, 171, 
I76, 202, 208, 235, 245, 268, 269. 282, 304, 316, 32I, 328 

Foote, Rev. Henry Wilder (1838-1889) ... 154 
Fox, Rev. Charles Armstrong (1835-1900) . .311 



PROSE SELECTIONS 



369 



PAGE 

Francis, St., of Assisi (1 182-1226) 278 

fullerton, lady georgiana (1812-1885) . . . 131 

Gordon, General Charles George (1833-1885) 55, 

167, 277, 301, 321, 322 
Gore, Canon Charles (b. 1853) 25, 38, 84, 94, 240, 241, 

252, 259, 291 

Goulburn, Dean Edward Meyrick (1818-1897) 80, 

185, 206, 258, 353 

Greenwell, Dora (1822-1882) . . 61, 102, 241, 261, 275 
Grou, Pere Jean Nicolas (1731-1803) 28, 40,80, 92, 

132, 149, 173, 303, 343 
Guillore, Abbe Francois (d. 1684) . 31, 93, 190, 364 
Guyon, Madame Jeanne Marie Bouviere de la 
Mothe ( 1 648-1717) 136, 174, 179, 267 

Hall, Bishop Arthur Crawshay Allison (b. 

1847) 128, 188, 259, 279, 332 

Hall, Bishop Joseph (i 574-1656) 63 

Hallahan, Mother Margaret Mary (1803- 

1868) 287 

Havergal, Frances Ridley (1836-1879) . . 30, 152 

Helps, Arthur (1817-1875) 255 

Hinton, James (1822-1875) 4 ... 64, 165 

Hodges, Rev. George (b. 1856) 1, 5, 71, 72, 95, 108, 122, 

218, 277, 286 

Holland, Canon Henry Scott (b. 1847) 79> : 6o, 266, 

288, 345 

Huntington, Rev. William Reed (b. 1838) 5, 153, 199, 

213, 215, 227, 357 

Hutton, Richard Holt (1826-1895) 145 

Ingram, Bishop Arthur Foley Winnington (b. 

1858) 286,333 

Irving, Rev. Edward (1792-1834) 3 

24 



370 INDEX OF AUTHORS 



PAGE 



John, Father (Ivan Iliytch Sergief) (b. 1829) 19, 73, 

1 37, 203 

Johnson, Dr. Samuel (1709-1784) 42 

Juliana, Mother (1373) . . . 5,73,91,110,199,231 

Keary, Eliza, pub. 1882 256 

Keary, Annie (1825-1879) 103,210 

Keble, Rev. John (1792-1866) 136 

Kempis, Thomas A (1380-1471) 9, 104, 115, 154, 166, 224, 

245, 276, 288, 297, 334, 365 
Kerr, Mother Henrietta (1842-1884) .... 236 
Kingsley, Rev. Charles (1819-1875) 106, 139, 330, 336 

Kinsley, William Wirt (b. 1837) 125 

King, Mrs. Elizabeth Taber (1820-1856) . 81, 107, 176 

Law, Rev. William (1686-1761) 59, 156, 164, 171, 184, 

344, 360 

Lawrence, Brother (d. 1691) 105 

Lawrence, Bishop William (b. 1850) 339 

Lear, Mrs. Henrietta Louisa Sidney (1824- 
T §96) 35' 46, 63, 69, 96, 109, 135, 144, 163, 178, 193, 200, 
213, 235, 267, 268, 271, 283, 297, 301, 305, 326, 347, 350 
Leighton, Archbishop Robert (1611-1684) 96, 120, 
124, 178, 209, 246, 274, 311, 341, 355 
Liddon, Canon Henry Parry (1829-1890) 45,78,123, 

151, 215, 244, 324, 361 
Lindsay, Mrs. Anna Robertson Brown, pub. 1893 47 
Loyola, St. Ignatius de (1492-1556) 213 

Macdonald, George (b. 1824) .... 7, 127, 217, 364 
Mackenzie, John Kenneth (1850-1887) . . 9, 49, 225 

McKenzie, Rev. Alexander (b. 1830) 251 

MacLaren, Rev. Alexander (b. 1826) 12, 130, 147, 237, 

35 2 



PROSE SELECTIONS 37 1 



Manning, Cardinal Henry Edward (1808-1892) 181, 

189, 306, 310, 358 

Maurice, Rev. Frederick Denison (1805-1872) . 219 
Maurice, Priscilla (1810-1854) 98, 157, 192, 260, 279, 

3 1 ? 

Merriam, Rev. George Spring (b. 1843) • 2 5 6 > 3 20 
Meyer, Rev. Frederick Brotherton (b. 1847) 9 2 > 9 6 > 

114, 159, 184 

Miller, Rev. James Russell (b. 1840) 220,232,276,323 
Molinos, Rev. Miguel de (1627-1696) .... 140 
Moule, Rev. Handley Carr Glyn (b. 1841) 92, 159, 

187, 257, 3°9 

Mulford, Rev. Elisha (1833-188 5) 150 

Murray, Rev. Andrew (b. 1828) 15, 41, 120, 132, 248, 

253' 28 7, 3*S> 333 

Newman, Cardinal John Henry (1801-1890) 84, 157, 

214, 243, 323, 331 
Nicolas, Armelle, a French maid-servant (1606- 



1671) 2^3 

Oliphant, Laurence (1829-1888) 65,215 

Paget, Dean Francis (b. 1851) 72, 182, 201, 239, 249, 330 
Parsons, Theophilus (1797-1882) . . . .38, 76, 101 
Penington, Isaac (1617-1679) 20, 37, 69, 116, 134, 140, 

170, 209, 229, 300, 316, 348 

Phelps, Rev. Austin (1820-1890) 15 1 

Prentiss, Mrs. Elizabeth (1818-1878) . 137, 189, 217 
Pulsford, Rev. John (1816-1897) . 77, H3> : 75> J 97 
Pusey, Rev. Edward Bouverie (1800-1882) 8, 16, 26, 
32, 49, 54, 57, 60, 68, 87, 100, 105, 122, 133, 148, 158, 190, 



203, 208, 221, 230, 250, 258, 265, 284, 290, 292. 298, 302, 
318, 322, 335> 340, 343, 35 6 , 3 6 5 



3/2 



IiVDEX OF AUTHORS 



Raphael, Mother Francis (Augusta Theodosta 

Drane) (1823-1894) 

Ravignan, Pere G. F. X. D. De (ivck-iScS) ' ' ' S 
Reed, Rev. James (b. 1834) . ' ' f 

Robertson, Rev. Frederick William (1S16-1S53) i<2 

Ruskin, John (1S19-1900) * 4/ ' 264 ' jg 4 

Rutherford, Rev. Samuel (1600-1661) '45 55 \e 
99, 124, 208, 225, 261, 2S2, 297, 3 oS, 310, 327, 33 S 

Sales, St. Francis de (1567-1622) 29, 48, 142, 237, 271, 

Scupoli, Father Lorenzo (1530-1610) 4; II3 , 

Sears, Rev. Edmund^'s^ ™ 334 ' £ . 
Shairp, John Campbell (1819-1885) . 212 
Shaw, Rev. Samuel (1635-1691) . . . . . I02 
Sibbes, Rev. Richard (1577-1635) ... 
Smetham, James (1821-1S89) ... 2 tol 

Smith, Mrs. Hannah Whitall, pub. 1877 53, 83,117, 
c >r l 43> l6 5> 2 ", 242, 264, 272,35c 

Smith, Mrs. Lucy Caroline (181S-1SS1) 149, 237 2 " 9 
Stanley, Dean Arthur Penrhyn (1S15-1S81) '172, 

Stephen, Sarah W. (1815-1895) 12, 75, 89, 232, 

Stowe, Mrs. Harriet Beecher (1S12-1896) 56^6 
Swedenborg, Emanuel (1688-1772) . . 168-44 
Swetchine, Madame Anne Sophie (1782-1857) 70*236 
Suso, Blessed Henry (1300-1365) . . . 106, 129] 155 
Sutton, Henry Septimus,/^. 1854 r ^5 

Tauler, Rev. John (1290-1361) 91, 1,2, 179, 233, 299. 362 
Taylor, Bishop Jeremy (1613-1667) 99, 122, 144, 238 



PROSE SELECTIOXS 373 



PAGE 

Temple, Archbishop Frederick (b. 1S29) 18,43,51,88, 
97, 103, 109, 13S, 158, 173, 214, 22S, 313, 314 
Tenney, Rev. Edward Payson (b. 1S35) . 216, 251 

Teresa, St., (151 5-1 5S2) 1,67,289 

Tersteegen, Gerhard (1697-1769) . 27, 131, 161, 267 
Thom, Rev. John Hamilton ( 1S0S-1S94) ... 366 

Theologica Germanica (1350) 67 

Things, Little, pub. 1852 7 

Thorold, Bishop Anthony Wilson (1825-1895) 17, in, 
123, 176, 201, 222, 2S0, 327, 352 
Thring, Rev. Edward (1821-1887) ... 61, 1S3, 339 
Trench, Archbishop Richard Chenevix (1S07- 
1886) 307 



Ullathorne, Archbishop William Bernard 

(1806-1889) 42, 10S, 146, 294, 329, 359 

Upham, Rev. Thomas Cogswell (1799-1S72) 73, 156, 



2S5, 3 2 4 

Van Dyke, Rev. Henry (b. 1852) 169 

Watson, Emma (1856-1880) 359 

Webb-Peploe, Mrs. Annie (1806-1S80) .... 354 

Wesley, Mrs. Susanna (1669-1742) 204 

Westcott, Bishop Brooke Foss (b. 1825) 57, 227, 232, 

240, 322, 335, 356 

Whichcote, Rev. Benjamin (1610-16S3) . . . . 193 



Wilkinson, Bishop George Howard (b. 1S33) 130, 304 



374 INDEX OF AUTHORS 



poetical f&elmton* 

PAGE 

Alexander, Mrs. Cecil Frances (1818-1895) 129, 335 

Alexander, Francesca ig$ 

Allingham, William (1828-1889) 32 

Ambrose, St. (340-397) 89 

Anonymous 126, 152 

Atkinson, Mary E I2 8 

Baker, Sir Henry Williams (1821-1887) ... 247 

Bohmer, Just Henning (1 674-1 749) 65 

Boxar, Rev. Horatius (1808-1889) 87, 134, 184,287,336 

Booth, Herbert (b. 1862) 274 

Borthwick, Jane (b. 1813) 30 

Botta, Mrs. Anna Charlotte Lynch (1815-1891) 81 

Bright, Rev. William (1824-1901) 353 

Browning, Robert (1812-1889) 300,344 

Bubier, Rev. George (1823-1869) 296 

Bull, Rev. John (1827) in 

Canton, William (b. 1845) • 3 2 ° 

Charles, Mrs. Elizabeth (Rundle) (1827-1896) 342 

Coleridge, Hartley (1796-1849) 182 

Coolidge, Susan 17, 98, 119, 166, 280, 290 

Cranch, Christopher Pearse (1813-1892) ... 47 
Crossman, Rev. Samuel (1624-1683) 76 

Dessler, Wolfgang Christoph (1660-1722) 22, 96, 

308, 339 

De Vere, Sir Aubrey Thomas (b. 1814) .... 289 

Dix, William Chatterton (b. 1837) 6 

Doddridge, Rev. Philip (1702-1751) ..... 341 
Donne, Rev. John (1 573-1631) 240 



POETICAL SELECTIONS 



375 



PAGE 



Egan, Maurice Francis (b. 1852) .... 139, 191 

Faber, Rev. Frederick William (1S14-1863) 53, 137, 
160, 178, 210, 244, 293, 350, 355 
Foote, Rev. Henry Wilder (1838-18S9) .... 18 
Francke, August Hermann (1663-1727) . . 264, 340 

Gambold, Rev. John (1711-1771) 130 

Gedicke, Rev. Lampertus (1683-1735) . . . 243, 327 
Gellert, Christian Furchtegott (171 5-1769) . 59 
Gerhardt, Rev. Paul (1606-1676) 36, 124, 136, 203, 234, 

245, 254, 261, 325 

German, From the 334 

Gilbert, Lady Rosa (Mulholland),/#£. 1886 . . 347 
Gill, Thomas Hornblower (b. 1819) 6S, 74, 151, 211, 

229, 231, 310, 352 

Granniss, Anna Jane (b. 1856) 21, 127 

Gray, Rev. George Zabriskie (1 840-1889) . . . 316 

Greenwell, Dora (1822-1882) 337 

Gregor, Rev. Christian (1723-1801) 222 

Hagenbach, Karl Rudolph (1801-1874) . . .70, 192 
Hamilton, Anna E. (1846-1876) .... 75, 153, 275 
Hardenberg, Friedrich von (Xovalis) (1772- 

1801) 102 

Havergal, Frances Ridley (1836-1879) 80, 112, 120, 

165, 188, 283, 311, 364 

Heermann, Rev. Johann (1585-1647) 12 

Herbert, Rev. George (1593-1632) 146 

Hinkson, Mrs. Katharine Tynan (b. 1S61) 73. 107, 131 
How, Bishop William Walsham (1823-1897) 208, 265, 

306 

Ingelow, Jean (1820-1897) 39, 183 

Ingemann, Bernhard Severin (1789-1862) ... 79 



3/6 



IXDEX OF AUTHORS 



PAGE 



J**. W:M.L 32I; 354 

John, St., of Damascus (a. d. 760) Ic ^ 

Keble, Rev. John (1792-1866) 27, 97, 109, 154, 



2 37> 3 2 4 

Kimball, Harriet McEwex (b. 1S34) 202, 266, 298, 302, 

3°9> 35o 

Laxge, Rev. Joachim (1670-1744) 209, 21S 

Larcom, Lucy (1S24-1S93) ^ 303 

Larned, Augusta (b. 1835) 1S6 

Laurexti, Laurextius (1660-1722) 106 

Lavater, Rev. Johaxx Caspar (1741-1S01) ... 206 
Lee, Rev. Frederick George (b. 1S32) .... 366 

Lyra German ica I0 ^ 

Lyra Mystica "... 13 

Macdoxald, George (b. 1824) 3, 207, 288 

Marstox, Anxie W. 257 

Martin, Rev. Hexry Arthur (b. 1S31) . . . . 1S1 
Mason, Mrs. Caroline Athertox (1S23-1890) . 281 

Mason, Rev. Johx (d. 1694) 4 o 

Massey, Gerald (b. 1S28) 224 

Matsox, Rev. William Tidd (b. 1833) ■ • • 2 5%> 2 ^ 
Moxsell, Rev. Johx Samuel Blvvley ( 1S1 1-1S75) ' 9°> 

145. 225, 242, 297, 33S, 35S 

Montgomery, James (1771-1S54) 69, 319 

Moultrie, Rev. John (1799-1S74) . . . 2S4, 301,' 317 
Myers, Frederick William Hexry (1S43-1901) 318, 

365 

Neumark, Georg (1621-1681) 177, 292 
Newman, Cardixal Johx (1S01-1S90) 279 

Palmer, Rev. Ray (1S0S-1887) 135, 144 

Patrick, St. (372-466) 77 



POETICAL SELECTIONS 



377 



PAGE 



Pigott, Jean Sophia (1877) . . • 

Porter, Bessie 

Pkentiss, Mrs. Elizabeth (1818-1878) 



44, 223 
■ 304 
26, no 



Procter, Adelaide Anne (1825— 1864) ■ • • 246,270 
Quarles, Francis (1 592-1 664) 54 

Rambach, Rev, Johann Jakob (1693-173S) ... 291 

Reed, Rev. Andrew (1787-1862) ",20 

Rist, Rev. Johann (1607-1667) 1 

S., C 226 

Sachs, Hans 11 494-1 576) 9 1 

SCHEFFLER, REV. JOHANN (ANGELUS SlLESIUS) 

(1624-1677) 141. 277, 360 

Schirmer, Michael (1606-1673) 346 

Scott, Rev. Frederick George (b. 1S61) . ... 105 

Scudder, Eliza (1821-1896) . 205 

Shairp, John Campbell (1819-1885) 3°7 

Spitta, Rev. Carl Johann Philipp (1S01-1S59) 252, 

268, 34S 

Stanley, Dean Arthur Penrhyn (1815-1881) . . 219 

Stowe, Mrs. Harriet Beecher (1812-1896) . . 197 

Suso, Blessed Henry (1300-1365) 142 

Sutton, Henry Septimus, pub. 1854 220 

Tennyson, Alfred, Lord (1S09-1892) . . 24, 150, 351 
Tersteegen, Gerhard (1697-1769) 14, 50,85, 171, 199.. 



Thrupp, Rev. Joseph Francis (1827-1867) ... 361 
Toplady, Rev. Augustus Montague (1740-1778) 180 
Trench, Archbishop Richard Chevenix (1S07- 



1886) 

TUTTiETTj Rev. Lawrence (b. 1825) 



55, 1S5, 241, 315. 359 
228 



373 



INDEX OF AUTHORS 



Van- Dyke, Rev. Henry (b. 1852) . . 229,299*326 
Very, Rev. Jones (1813-1880) 37, 63, H 8, ,55, r 74) i 79 , 

20 4, 273, 276, 329 

Waring, Anna L^etitia (b. 1820) 4, 10, 28, 41, 57, 67, 71, 

Webb, Rev. Thomas William (i^-illi) ^ ^ fe 4 
Wesley, Rev. Charles (1707-1788) 25, 58, 133, 217, 248, 

2 93> 33 1 * 33 2 > 357 

Whittier, John Greenleaf (1807-1892) 5, i 5 , 88? 113, 

Williams, Rev. Isaac (1802-1865) • • ■ 3 ° 5 '. 343 ' 149 
Williams, Sarah Johanna (1805-1841) . 169 
Winckler, Rev. Johann Joseph (1670-1722)" .' ' 71 
Woodfall, Jane 156 



DAILY STRENGTH 
for DAILY NEEDS 

" As thy Days, so shall thy Strength he " 



A SELECTION FOR 
EVERY DAY IN THE YEAR 

By MARY W. TILESTON 

Author of "JOY AND STRENGTH FOR THE PIL- 
GRIM'S DAY" "QUIET HOURS; 1 etc. 

Red Line Edition. Printed from new type. 
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There are many little books of daily food, daily meditations, Scrip- 
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the toil and moil of life to the spiritual heights. None of these, in 
our opinion, is so perfectly adapted to its purpose as "Daily Strength 
for Daily Needs." . . . The title is aptly chosen : strength is the 
especial characteristic of this wholesome, vigorous, yet devout work. — 
The Evangelist. 



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VOLUMES OF SELECTIONS 
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Selections from the Thoughts of Marcus Au- 
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Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Nov. 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

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Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 



